Max Verstappen struck first in the final stretch of the Formula One title race, securing his first win since June with a dominant performance in the US Grand Prix sprint race. The Red Bull driver delivered a controlled and confident drive, marking his most assured victory in recent months.
The Dutchman led comfortably from pole position and maintained control throughout the 19-lap dash. Despite a strong start from Norris, who climbed from fourth to second, the McLaren driver couldn’t close the gap to Verstappen. As his tires degraded towards the end, Norris ultimately fell behind Sainz, unable to mount a challenge.
The victory gave Verstappen the ideal start to the final stretch of six events to determine the championship. He increased his advantage over Norris to 54 points, with 172 points still available. While he only gained two points on Norris in the sprint, the crucial takeaway was that he kept Britt from further closing the gap.
Verstappen cruises to #F1Sprint victory as Sainz takes second ahead of Norris #F1 #USGP | Full Report 👇https://t.co/9ta8aHELnn
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 19, 2024
“It feels a bit like old times,” Verstappen said after the win. “I am very happy, finally we were racing again. Normally in the race, we are always looking back but now we could do our own race.”
More crucially for Verstappen and Red Bull, the result suggested that their minor upgrades to address the car’s balance issues have been effective. It marked a return to the dominance at the front of the pack that Red Bull enjoyed during the first half of the season.
Lando Norris secures pole position for Sunday’s race as George Russell crashes
Lando Norris secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, fending off pressure from Max Verstappen in a thrilling qualifying session. The session ended abruptly when Mercedes’ George Russell crashed into the barriers at Turn 19, halting Verstappen’s final attempt to improve his time and solidifying Norris’s spot at the front of the grid.
George Russell's dramatic crash brought qualifying to an abrupt end 💥😮#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/RmPZ1jMat8
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024
For Norris, it marked his fourth pole in the last five races and his sixth of the season as he continues to close in on Verstappen in the championship fight. He secured the pole with a best time of 1:32.330, narrowly edging out the Dutchman by just 0.031 seconds.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took third and fourth positions, respectively. Oscar Piastri followed in fifth for McLaren, ahead of Russell, with Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in seventh, followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, and Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten in the second Red Bull.
Read More: 3 Reasons Why Max Verstappen Will Win US Grand Prix
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
