MOTORSPORT: Mercedes reigns, Red Bull rages

Mercedes is F1's champion constructor for the fourth year in a row, and Lewis Hamilton is within a few points of his fourth world drivers’ title.

Daniel Ricciardo fell victim to a power unit failure early in today’s United States Grand Prix in Texas, while the carsales.com.au global ambassador’s Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen was controversially denied a podium after starting the race 16th.

Stewards found that Verstappen had all four wheels off the track when he overtook Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari through the second last corner and thus gained “a lasting advantage”.

Verstappen, his ex-F1 racer father Jos and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner exploded at the decision – although strictly speaking, from video evidence, it seems to be correct.

“It’s one idiot steward up there which always makes decisions against me,” the 20-year-old Verstappen said, referring to Australian official Garry Connelly, who is often the chairman of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) stewards’ panel at F1 GPs.

“They [the stewards] kill the race. It’s not good for the crowd. I really hope next year nobody is coming, because like this the sport doesn’t make sense.”

Verstappen, who was removed from the room where the top three finishers were waiting for the podium presentation, added that it was “really weird” that there was no right of appeal.

Father Jos, veteran of more than 100 GPs and at one time Michael Schumacher’s teammate, tweeted: “This is bullshit. This sucks. Shame on you FIA.”

Horner called the penalty “appalling and unbelievably harsh”.

His fury was especially at what he saw as inconsistencies – that others had gone off the track throughout the weekend without penalties (although not affecting the race results), and that after a similar instant decision against Verstappen that cost him a podium in Mexico a year ago stewards had agreed to hear what those involved had to say in future.

Connelly also officiated at that race.

“After Mexico they said they wouldn’t make that hasty decision again – they said they’d look at all the facts, listen to the drivers and then make a decision,” Horner said.

“And what’s happened? They’ve made an instant decision [a five-second penalty on Verstappen, that dropped him behind Raikkonen].

“I think it’s a shocking decision.

“They’ve robbed the fans of the podium that should have been today.”

F1 greats Niki Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, and American Mario Andretti, sided with Red Bull.

Andretti said it could be argued that Raikkonen had forced Verstappen wide and told the youngster “you got robbed”, while the always-blunt Lauda called the penalty “the worst [decision] I’ve ever seen”.

F1 finally seems to be gaining traction in the US, with a huge crowd at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, boxing presenter Michael Buffer introducing the drivers, the world’s greatest sprinter Usain Bolt flagging them off on the formation lap and doing the podium interviews, and former president Bill Clinton presenting Hamilton with the winner’s trophy.

It was the fifth time Hamilton has been the victor in the six years Austin has hosted the US GP.

Along with his victory at Indianapolis in 2007, he has now won the American round of the championship six times – once more than Michael Schumacher.

Hamilton now leads Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by 66 points in this year’s drivers’ championship and, with a maximum 75 points available over the remaining three GPs – fifth place in Mexico City next Monday morning, Australian time, would clinch a fourth world title for him.

Statistically he will be the greatest British driver, although to some old enough to remember he will never be the equal of Jim Clark or even Jackie Stewart and Nigel Mansell.

However, with 62 GP wins and still only 32, Hamilton is now looking a genuine chance to overhaul Schumacher’s record 91 victories and perhaps equal or better the German’s seven titles.

Vettel, who had nosed ahead of Hamilton at the start and led the early laps, then narrowed Hamilton’s advantage on fresh tyres after pitting earlier than the Mercedes ace, fell to fourth before finishing runner-up, having overtaken Valtteri Bottas and been allowed through by teammate Raikkonen.

But the 30-year-old German, already a four-time world champion (with Red Bull) by the end of 2013 (before the introduction of the 1.6-litre V6 hybrids), is a broken man, knowing that the title has got away from him this season – in part due to mistakes he’s made.

While Ferrari has looked for much of the season to be getting on terms with Mercedes, which has dominated the hybrid era, today’s Texas race was evidence that the German marque has always had something up its sleeve.

Although Vettel grabbed the initiative at the start, Hamilton quickly knew he had the Ferrari’s measure and glided into the lead as Vettel overworked his tyres.

The disappointment since the mid-season for Mercedes must be the form of its second driver, Bottas.

Speculation mounted in Austin that Ricciardo is Mercedes-bound when his Red Bull contract expires at the end of next season.

Red Bull has got Verstappen’s signature on a one-year contract extension that keeps him there until the end of 2020, although he and his father are sure to have demanded exit clauses if its cars are not more serious championship challengers in the next couple of years.

Bottas has won two races with Mercedes since replacing Nico Rosberg, who quit within days of becoming world champion last year, but on his recent form the 28-year-old Finn is not worth his place in the sport’s premier team. Ricciardo outpointed him a couple of times in his few laps today, despite not having anywhere the power of Bottas.

Verstappen’s decision to commit to Red Bull for longer was somewhat surprising, especially as either Mercedes or Ferrari would have dropped Bottas or Raikkonen to accommodate him, but it’s time for Ricciardo to move on.

He’s won five GPs with Red Bull – three in 2014 (with Vettel as his teammate winning none), one last year and another this season. The energy drink company’s patronage has been great for him, and he’s delivered everything it could have expected.

But, eight years older than Verstappen, Ricciardo needs to get himself into a team at which he can become Australia’s third world champion, in the tracks of the late Sir Jack Brabham (a triple champion) and Alan Jones (37 years ago).

Mercedes may be Ricciardo’s next home, and he is probably the one driver who could cope going into a team revolving around Hamilton, but Ferrari is his more natural destiny – although Vettel, contracted until the end of 2020, will be unwilling to have him as his teammate again, not wanting to be outshone a second time.

Renault wanted the Aussie recently, but had to settle for Spaniard Carlos Sainz Junior out of Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso.

Power units will be the key to Ricciardo’s future – if he doesn’t end up at Mercedes or get in the door at Ferrari, maybe a Porsche hybrid in the back of a McLaren might be the go – although much riskier.

Porsche is pulling out of prototype sports car racing at the end of this season but has hybrid racing experience from that category and has been attending meetings on future F1 regulations.

It could be the answer to McLaren’s dreams after its horrific marriage to Honda of the past three years, although for next year at least it will have to make do as a Renault customer.

Incidentally, Porsche’s soon-to-be two-time world sports car champion driver, and one of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans victors, New Zealander Brendon Hartley came through his F1 debut in Austin with Toro Rosso, getting to the chequered flag a lap down in 13th place.

He was the first Kiwi to race in F1 since Mike Thackwell in 1984, and did it on the 50th anniversary of Denny Hulme becoming NZ’s only F1 world champion.

Tragically, Hulme died of a heart attack in the 1992 Bathurst 1000.

Formula 1 World Championship driver standings after 17 of 20 rounds – 1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes) 331 points; 2. Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari) 265; 3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes) 244; 4. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 192; 5. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari) 163; 6. Max Verstappen (Netherlands, Red Bull-Renault) 123; 7. Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India-Mercedes) 86; 8. Esteban Ocon (France, Force India-Mercedes) 73; 9. Carlos Sainz Junior (Spain, Toro Rosso & Renault) 54; 10. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams-Mercedes) 36; 11. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany, Renault) 34; 12. Lance Stroll (Canada, Williams-Mercedes) 32.

F1 constructor standings – 1. Mercedes 575 points; 2. Ferrari 428; 3. Red Bull-Renault 315; 4. Force India-Mercedes 159; 5. Williams-Mercedes 68; 6. Toro Rosso-Renault 53; 7. Renault 48; 8. Haas-Ferrari 43; 9. McLaren-Honda 23; 10. Sauber-Ferrari 5.