Charles Leclerc delivered an impressive performance to win the United States Grand Prix, leading a commanding one-two finish for Ferrari. Meanwhile, Lando Norris lost a critical third place to Max Verstappen after receiving a penalty for a late overtaking maneuver against his title rival.
The Monegasque driver got off to a quick start, taking advantage of the battle between Verstappen and Norris on the front row. Leclerc made a clever move by cutting inside at Turn 1 and surged ahead through the sweeping corners to secure the lead. Leclerc enjoyed a smooth run to the finish line, claiming his third victory of the season and the eighth of his Formula 1 career. It was an ideal outcome for the Ferrari driver, especially after facing some challenges throughout the weekend in Austin.
In the race for the championship, Verstappen and Norris again put up a show as they went toe-to-toe in the final laps of the race to claim the final podium place. Brit took advantage of his fresher tires to close the gap on the Dutchman, and after 10 laps of intense pressure, he managed to overtake in a tight battle. The decisive move came in Turn 12 on lap 52, where both drivers went wheel-to-wheel, running wide over the curb before Norris emerged in front.
However, the stewards quickly determined that Norris had gained an advantage by running wide during the move, rejoining the track ahead of his rival. As a result, he was handed a five-second penalty. Norris crossed the line in third, but with only a 4.1-second gap to Verstappen, the time penalty dropped him to fourth place in the final standings, pushing his rival into the podium spot.
“It’s very clear in the rules, outside the white line you cannot pass. I have been done for it as well in the past. I think in 2017, or whenever it was, so I lost my podium like that.” Verstappen said about the incident.
“So I just remained calm, trying to do the best I could after that to bring the car to the end. It was not easy with the tires and the situation that I was in. But overall, I still really enjoyed that battle that we had.” he added.
THE TOP 10 IN AUSTIN đź‘€#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/koVl29VRpI
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024
With this result, Verstappen, who had claimed victory in the Sprint race with Norris finishing third, extended his championship lead to 57 points over the McLaren driver, with just five race weekends remaining in the 2024 season.
In the Constructor’s championship, Ferrari got a notable lift, bringing their total to 496 points, now just eight points behind second-placed Red Bull. Meanwhile, McLaren maintains their position at the top with 544 points.
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.
