Race results: Ferrari out of contention, disappointment in Hamilton and fierce battle between Verstappen and Norris in Austin

Despite some anticipation for the return of Formula 1, the US Grand Prix did not disappoint as two of the title’s protagonists went wheel to wheel at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Despite all the dangers on the track, the final decision of the stewards was to give Norris a five-second penalty, leaving his rival Verstappen the last place on the podium. Despite all the attention on the Verstappen-Norris duel, Charles Leclerc’s sensational race win may have been overshadowed, but a one-two finish from him and teammate Carlos Sainz ensured Ferrari kept the headlines while Hamilton remained with the head in the title. his hands. Here are all the highlights and what we learned from the US Grand Prix.

Ferrari goes into action in Austin as it ‘aims for the title’

While Ferrari have shown glimpses of brilliance this season (witness Leclerc’s emotional victory in Monaco), few could have predicted a one-two finish from the Maranello marque in Austin.

Leclerc finished fourth in the race, with teammate Carlos Sainz one step ahead in third. Taking advantage of Norris’s fight with Verstappen, which resulted in the Briton missing the gate, Leclerc took the lead and found himself in the lead on the first lap. From there it was a smooth ride from start to finish, where he took his third win of the season and the eighth win of his Formula 1 career.

“It was not an easy weekend, I still had some problems with the feel of the car, but I was sure that in the race the feeling was better, and it was,” said the Monegasque driver after the race.

“(I’m) very happy with today. One or two in favor of the team, we couldn’t have dreamed of anything better,” he added.

As for his teammate, the Spaniard came out of Turn 1 just behind Verstappen in third but lost time due to problems with his car, reporting that at one point he smelled fuel in the cockpit. After this, any hope of challenging his teammate for victory diminished, but Sainz nonetheless looked strong and second in the closing laps of the race.

With Ferrari earning two goals for the first time in 18 years in the United States, Leclerc was particularly confident about the team’s hopes for the season. “Right now we are still aiming for the title. We still have a long way to go, but this is a good start for the triple header,” he admitted. After the US, Ferrari is in the best position in the constructors’ race, with a total of 496 points, just eight points behind second-placed Red Bull, while McLaren leads with 544 points. As for Leclerc in the drivers’ standings, he remains in third place, although he is only 22 points behind Norris in second.

Controversial Norris penalty puts Verstappen ahead in title fight

Despite starting the race on pole, Austin will be an event Lando Norris would rather forget. After retreating during the race and a heated battle between the Briton and Verstappen in the final few laps, Norris eventually overtook the Dutchman on the outside of Turn 12 as both drivers spun off the track.

After Verstappen finished third, the McLaren team were so convinced that it would be the Dutchman who would receive the penalty for Norris’s sending off that they ordered their driver to hold on to his place.

In the end, it was Norris who found himself in the line of fire from the stewards amid complaints about the sequence of actions given similar incidents moments earlier. Norris raised the issue that Verstappen had lost his place at the start by going off track at Turn 1, but it did little to make up for Norris’s lost podium finish.

“I didn’t give the position back because we thought we were right – but obviously we weren’t,” Norris said.

“I still think that was the case, given that Max went off the track – usually if you defend your position and go off the track, you have to give up the position. In this case I was ahead, I kept my position because he needed to give it back and that’s the way it is.

After the US Grand Prix, Verstappen increased his lead over Norris to 57 points with four races remaining. While every point counts until the finale in Abu Dhabi on December 8, Norris can rest assured that he has secured his place in the history books as the highest-scoring driver in McLaren history with 930 points throughout his career.

‘Disappointing’ race for Hamilton as US trip ends early

Lewis Hamilton will no doubt be counting down his days at Mercedes, especially after Austin witnessed the stark contrast between his Silver Arrow and the Ferrari he will jump into in 2025.

Starting in 17th place after a disappointing qualifying session, Hamilton took five places in the opening laps behind the wheel of his newly upgraded W15. But on the third lap the Briton flew off the track at turn 19.

“I had a great start,” he explained after returning to the garage. “(I) got up to 12th and it was only the second lap at that point, so I’m not stressing or pushing too hard – I’m just trying to manage the tyres.

“The car started bouncing as it approached and then it just lost all the weight on the rear end and just ran over me,” he explained.

“I’ve never spun in a race before, at least I don’t remember it,” said the seven-time world champion, clearly perplexed by how the incident happened.

“Of course it’s frustrating, but I know it’s not that I wasn’t focused or anything – it’s just unfortunate.”

As for Hamilton’s teammate George Russell, the Briton managed to finish sixth despite starting from the back of the grid. Thanks to Russell’s performance and the sprint race, Mercedes left Texas with 15 points combined, the team’s lowest weekend result since Zandvoort, leaving them 152 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

Liam Lawson is back on track and wearing glasses

Having overcome adversity and fought his way from the back of the pack, the New Zealand rider left the US with two points in hand despite returning to the race for the first time since October 2023.

Sitting in Ricciardo’s car, having replaced the Australian at RB for the remainder of the season, Lawson found himself starting from the back due to a grid penalty for exceeding the allotted quantity of several power unit components.

Undeterred, the New Zealand driver amazingly fought back, passing drivers including Lance Stroll and the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso, as well as Pierre Gasly, to finish in ninth place.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting points, not after where we started, not right after yesterday’s sprint race,” he admitted.

“I felt very comfortable and that was the main goal for this weekend – to get to the end and feel confident with the car.

“It’s always nice when you also overtake a car like we did today, and I think it was that tough stint at the start that really put us in a great position.”

With a stellar performance this weekend, Ferrari has joined the fray for the 2024 Constructors’ Trophy and next year certainly looks promising. Don’t miss your chance to see Hamilton’s first home race in red at the British Grand Prix next July. Tickets are available now.