Ferrari dominates, Verstappen ahead of penalised Norris

Ferrari dominated the US Grand Prix in Austin, with Charles Leclerc winning after taking the lead on the opening lap, followed by his teammate Carlos Sainz. Max Verstappen finished ahead of Lando Norris following a late penalty.

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Verstappen tried to take the lead from pole sitter Norris in the first corner but went deep into the corner. That saw Charles Leclerc jump up from fourth to first, followed by Verstappen, Sainz, and Norris.

Sainz had problems in the opening laps with lack of power and smell of fuel, but it was soon quite clear the Ferrari was the class of the field. Sainz jumped Verstappen during the one and only round of pit stops, and Leclerc led a comfortable 1-2.

After struggling at the start, McLaren were stronger in the second half of the race, when they pitted later than Verstappen. Norris caught Verstappen and eventually passed him when they both ran off the track at Turn 12. Norris was given a 5-second penalty for the overtake and cost a podium position to his championship rival.

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The issue of track limits and drivers pushing each other off the track was a theme throughout the race. Most race tracks haven’t had this problem in 2024, due to the walls at street circuits and the implantation of gravel traps on race tracks. Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell picked up harsh penalties for pushing drivers off the track, while Gasly picked up a similar penalty to Norris.

George Russell was able to come through the field despite his penalty and overtook Perez at the end for sixth place. His teammate Lewis Hamilton spun off at the start of the race, ending a miserable weekend.

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Hulkenberg was the best-placed midfield car in a weekend that saw Haas jump RB for sixth in the Constructors Championship. However, it was a missed opportunity for the American team when a problem caused Kevin Magnussen to make an unplanned second pit stop and put him out of the points after running ahead of his teammate.

Liam Lawson put in a stellar performance in his first Grand Prix this season, following back of the gird penalty to come through for ninth, and will no doubt be catching the eye of Helmut Marko. Colapinto also scored points for Williams, putting his claim for the Sauber seat next season.

Max Verstappen’s winless run on Sunday Grand Prix goes on, but he has definitely moved closer to a fourth world championship, extending his lead to 57 points over Lando Norris with five races to go.

A battle that is certainly still on is the Constructors Championship. Ferrari remains in third but has a chance to overtake Red Bull and maybe even McLaren if they remain strong in the upcoming races.

1. McLaren 544

2. Red Bull 504

3. Ferrari 496

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