Charles Leclerc delivered a masterclass performance to claim 2024 United States Grand Prix win, leading a Ferrari 1-2 ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz as Lando Norris lost podium finish to Max Verstappen.
Held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the race unfolded with a mix of thrilling battles, strategic pit stops, and a controversial Norris penalty that reshaped the podium standings.
This event not only marked Leclerc’s third win of the season but also highlighted the ongoing rivalry between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in their quest for the championship.
The race commenced with Lando Norris on pole position, having secured his spot after a tense qualifying session. Next to him was Max Verstappen, who had been a dominant force throughout the United States Grand Prix weekend.
As the lights turned green, both Norris and Verstappen engaged in a fierce battle for the lead heading into Turn 1. However, the duel resulted in the McLaren being pushed wide off the track, allowing Leclerc, who started fourth, to capitalize on their misfortune.
With a deft maneuver, the Monesgaque snatched the lead and began to build a gap between himself and his rivals with exceptional pace and control. He quickly established himself as the driver to beat, maintaining his lead through the first stint of the race.
Meanwhile, his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz was also making significant progress. The Spaniard executed an effective undercut strategy during his pit stop, which allowed him to leapfrog Verstappen and secure second place behind Leclerc.
By lap 20, the Ferrari duo had established a comfortable one-two position that would ultimately dictate the race’s outcome.
As the race progressed into its latter stages, attention shifted to the intense battle for third place between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. After initially falling back to fourth due to his poor start, Norris regained momentum following a well-timed pit stop that left him with fresher tires compared to Verstappen’s older rubber.
This strategic decision set up an exhilarating showdown between the two title contenders as Norris began closing in on Verstappen rapidly as they approached the final ten laps of the race.
Norris attempted multiple overtaking maneuvers, each met with fierce resistance from Verstappen. With every lap that passed, it became increasingly clear that every point would be critical as they vied for supremacy in this closely contested season.
On lap 52, with only four laps remaining, Norris finally managed to overtake Verstappen at Turn 12 after an intense back-and-forth exchange. However, the maneuver would be soon scrutinized by race stewards.
Norris had run wide off-track during the overtaking process and did not yield back to Verstappen as protocol dictates when gaining an advantage outside track limits. After deliberation, race officials imposed a five-second Norris penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Despite crossing the finish line ahead of Verstappen by 4.1 seconds and initially celebrating what he thought was a podium finish, Norris’s penalty meant he would be classified fourth instead of third.
The ruling allowed Verstappen to climb back onto the podium in third place, extending his championship lead over Norris to a substantial 57 points with only five races remaining in the season.
Leclerc crossed the line first with a time of 1:35:09.639, followed by Sainz who finished just 8.5 seconds behind him—an impressive display from Ferrari that underscored their resurgence in form this season.
The 1-2 finish not only solidified Ferrari’s position in the Constructors’ Championship but also highlighted their competitive edge over rivals McLaren and Red Bull Racing.
Meanwhile Oscar Piastri had another solid outing for McLaren, finishing fifth after navigating through traffic effectively and maintaining consistent lap times throughout the race.
George Russell demonstrated resilience by starting from pit lane due to qualifying issues but managed to climb back into sixth place despite receiving his own five-second penalty for an incident involving Valtteri Bottas early in the race.
Sergio Pérez finished seventh for Red Bull Racing while Nico Hülkenberg put in a commendable effort for Haas by securing eighth place. Liam Lawson returned to form with a ninth-place finish for VisaCashApp RB after some time away from racing due to injury.
Williams’ Franco Colapinto took his second points finish in the sport with 10th spot.
The day ended on a sour note for Lewis Hamilton; after making an impressive start from 17th on the grid and gaining several positions early on, he spun out on lap three at Turn 19 and became stuck in gravel—resulting in his retirement from the race.
2024 United States Grand Prix Race Results
READ MORE: 2024 F1 World Championship Standings after United States Grand Prix
