Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix to seal the 2022 constructors' championship for Red Bull; the victory ends an eight-year streak of titles for Mercedes; Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner dedicate triumph to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz
Sunday 23 October 2022 23:23, UK
Red Bull sealed the 2022 Formula 1 constructors' championship as Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday.
The title, which is paired with Verstappen's second successive triumph in the drivers' championship, is Red Bull's first since 2014, and ends an eight-year streak of Mercedes domination.
Ferrari needed to outscore Red Bull by 19 points in Sunday's race to extend the championship to next weekend in Mexico, but pole-sitter Carlos Sainz's opening-lap retirement made the outcome a formality.
Verstappen's victory, along with team-mate Sergio Perez's fourth place, took Red Bull to 656 points with three races remaining, giving them an unassailable 187-point lead over Ferrari.
The team dedicated the victory to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died at the age of 78 on Saturday following a lengthy illness.
"We gave it everything out there today, and of course it's a very difficult weekend for us, so this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich," Verstappen said.
"We had a big chance to win the constructors' here, and you want to do that in style, and I think we did that today."
The title is a milestone fifth triumph for Red Bull, adding to the four consecutive championships the team won between 2011 and 2014.
"It means everything to us," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.
"Dietrich was a very private man but he was passionate about life, he was passionate about sport, he was especially passionate about Formula One.
"He had a dream which was to have a Formula One team and he did that and in the end he had two.
"He gave us all an opportunity, he believed in us, he backed us and this is for him.
"We are just tremendously grateful for everything that he has done for us as individuals, as a team and we are going to celebrate in his honour tonight."
Red Bull have produced a dominant season on the back of the introduction of new design regulations for 2022, with Verstappen and Perez combining to win 15 of the 19 races so far.
The triumph comes amid continued drama surrounding Red Bull's breach of the 2021 cost cap, with the FIA yet to confirm how the team will be punished for the violation.
Red Bull confirmed on Sunday that talks with the FIA had been pushed back following Mateschitz's death, and are expected to resume in a few days.
