Max Verstappen fastest in final practice for United States Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc hit with grid penalty
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Published 22/10/2022 at 20:16 GMT
Two-time world champion Max Verstappen topped the final practice session at the United States Grand Prix in Austin by just 0.320 seconds from Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz a further 0.126 seonds behind. However, Leclerc will not start from the front on Sunday due to a 10-grid place penalty for a new internal combustion engine and turbocharger.
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Max Verstappen was fastest in final practice for the United States Grand Prix from Charles Leclerc as gusty conditions made it very tricky for the drivers.
Few drivers put together a clean lap together due to the wind so it could be a close fight for pole position between Red Bull and Ferrari.
However, Leclerc will not be starting from the first four rows because he will take a 10-grid place penalty for a new internal combustion engine and turbocharger.
Fernando Alonso’s car has been fitted with a new engine, so he will join Sergio Perez and Zhou Guanyu on the list of drivers who will drop five places from their qualifying position.
Verstappen was initially just 0.010 seconds quicker than Leclerc, but both drivers improved their lap times on the final runs which saw the reigning world champion go 0.320 seconds faster than the Ferrari driver.
Carlos Sainz, who topped the only meaningful practice session on Friday, was 0.446 seconds adrift of Leclerc in third, with Sergio Perez half a second away in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton was the lead Mercedes in fifth place, ahead of Alonso and George Russell.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll looked strong in eighth and ninth, whilst Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
McLaren appear to be off the pace compared to normal with Lando Norris in 12th and Daniel Ricciardo in 15th.
Mick Schumacher missed the majority of the session due to a gearbox issue and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou was limited to just three laps because of a technical problem.
Ahead of the session, Christian Horner was in the team bosses’ press conference and hit out at his rivals who have hinted that Red Bull cheated last year for breaching the budget cap, stating his employees’ children have been “bullied” as a result of the accusations.
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