Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc capitalized on a first-turn clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to take control of Sunday’s (Oct. 20) Formula 1 United States Grand Prix and maintained his grip on the rest of the race to win comfortably ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz.
“I’m very happy,” Leclerc told Sky Sports after the race. “It hasn’t been an easy weekend. Until now, I have been struggling with a feeling with the car but I had the confidence during the race. The feeling was better.”
Behind Leclerc and Sainz’s 1-2 result for Ferrari, championship drama was unfolding between Verstappen and Norris.
Verstappen had managed to get to Norris’ inside on the run toward turn 1 on the opening lap, and the ensuing clash between them allowed Leclerc and Sainz to pass into first and third positions, respectively. Norris struggled for pace on the medium compound tires early in the race while Verstappen’s Red Bull looked more comfortable.
This status quo — Verstappen ahead of Norris — carried through most of the race until pit stops when both drivers switched to the hard compound for the run to the finish. This swap presented a shift in the pace advantage where Norris’ car came alive as Verstappen began to struggle with tire wear.
Norris was over 7 seconds behind Verstappen after making his pit stop on lap 31. Verstappen had pitted on lap 25, giving Norris a six-lap advantage in terms of tire life; the McLaren driver went to work eating into Verstappen’s lead. By lap 44 Norris was within 1 second of Verstappen, allowing him to activate DRS on the track’s two straightaways.
Norris hounded Verstappen, who put up a vicious defense for several laps, repeatedly denying Norris the opportunity to overtake at turns 1, 12 and 15.
Norris finally got alongside Verstappen at turn 12 on lap 52, but both cars ran wide as Norris passed Verstappen around the outside with all four wheels off the racing surface.
Following a period of suspense, Norris was issued a 5-second time penalty with two laps to go, meaning Verstappen would take third place with Norris finishing fourth.
The race was defined by tire strategy across the board. Conflicting pace levels between the medium and hard tire compounds produced several instances of side-by-side racing, especially in the circuit’s slow-to-medium-speed third sector.
Sector three, most notably, saw yet another encounter between Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso, who was livid after Saturday’s Sprint, where Lawson gave him zero space in a battle for position in the same section of track.
Lawson, who is looking to secure a seat in F1 for 2025, finished ninth while Alonso ended the day in 14th.
Lewis Hamilton was the only retiree from the race. The seven-time champion brought out the safety car on lap 3 when he spun at turn 19 and found his Mercedes beached in the gravel trap, necessitating the car to be retrieved by a mobile crane.
2024 F1 United States Grand Prix Results
Next on the F1 calendar is the Mexico City Grand Prix from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Lights will go out Sunday, Oct. 27, at p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.