United States Grand Prix: Weekend Recap
Following a 3 week hiatus and numerous headlines regarding Daniel Ricciardo's exit and RedBull's bibgate, Formula One returned stateside at the Circuit of the Americas to kick start the final quarter of the championship. The race at Austin was a sprint race, an opportunity for Lando Norris to close in on his championship rival Max Verstappen. The Mclaren man went to Texas with a 52-point deficit to Verstappen, hoping to shrink that as much as possible with the two race sessions.
Sprint Qualifying
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race at the 2024 United States Grand Prix, beating Mercedes' George Russell by a mere 0.012 seconds in a thrilling sprint qualifying session. Red Bull's star driver managed to turn around a challenging few races for the crew, with the pace encouraging Max's title chances.
SQ1
The first qualifying sprint session ended with problems for Williams as Alex Albon's final lap saw him spin exiting the penultimate corner. The Williams driver pulled off a full 360-degree spin and was eliminated in 18th place. Oscar Piastri also suffered disappointment as his best time was deleted for exceeding track limits at the same corner. His previous time only ranked 16th, and he too was eliminated. Joining them were Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu from Sauber, who finished behind Albon.
SQ2
SQ2 saw the major upsets during the session. Red Bull's Sergio Perez failed to make it into SQ3, placing 10th when he crossed the line. His time was good enough initially, but a late improvement from Yuki Tsunoda bumped him out of the top 10. In another twist, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll had their late times deleted for running wide at the penultimate corner, dropping them out of contention. As a result, Pierre Gasly moved up to 12th. Liam Lawson was another driver penalized for exceeding track limits at Turn 1, which pushed him down to 13th behind Stroll and Alonso, who finished 13th-15th, respectively.
SQ3
In the final segment (SQ3), it initially seemed that George Russell would claim pole position for Mercedes. His early lap on soft tires set a 1m32.845s, a significant improvement from his SQ2 time. Russell looked poised to secure the top spot as Lewis Hamilton struggled in the other Mercedes W15. But in the dying moments, Verstappen managed to clock a 1m32.833s lap, narrowly beating Russell by just 0.012 seconds.
Although Verstappen didn't set a purple sector in any part of the lap, his consistency across all three sectors delivered the pole. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris followed in third and fourth, respectively, while Carlos Sainz was also in the mix before finishing fifth. Nico Hulkenberg outpaced Hamilton to take sixth place, while Kevin Magnussen’s eighth-place finish added to Haas’ strong showing on home soil. Yuki Tsunoda secured ninth, and Williams rookie Franco Colapinto, despite a promising run, ended up 10th after spinning at Turn 12.
Verstappen’s sprint pole marks his first top qualifying position since Austria in June, and he now aims to extend his unbeaten streak in every sprint race of 2024. Despite the challenges Red Bull faced, including Perez's elimination in SQ2, Verstappen’s pole put him in a strong position to capitalize on his championship lead heading into the sprint race.
Sprint Race
Max Verstappen returned to the top step of the podium in Austin, claiming victory in the sprint race at the United States Grand Prix. Starting from pole, Verstappen faced early pressure from Lando Norris but ultimately cruised to a comfortable 3.9-second win—his first since the Barcelona race in June.
Verstappen defended his lead at the start of the 19-lap sprint, with Norris making an aggressive move up to second place. The McLaren driver dived down the inside of Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 and maintained his momentum through Turn 3 to overtake George Russell and challenge Verstappen. Despite staying within DRS range in the opening laps, Norris couldn’t quite close the gap to launch an attack on the Red Bull driver.
As the race progressed, Verstappen found his rhythm, stretching his lead beyond one second to break DRS from Norris. Meanwhile, Russell’s early challenge faded as his Mercedes struggled with tire wear, forcing him to defend from Norris rather than focus on Verstappen.
Norris managed to close the gap slightly in the second half of the race, getting as close as 1.2 seconds behind Verstappen. However, the Red Bull driver dug deeper and extended his lead once again, cementing his position and ensuring an untroubled victory. Norris, while tenacious, couldn’t mount another serious challenge for the win.
The battle for second heated up in the final stages, as Carlos Sainz, who had passed his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on Lap 5, began to close in on Norris. With DRS assistance, Sainz stayed close to the McLaren and made his move on the final lap, diving up the inside of Turn 1. Norris locked up under pressure, allowing Sainz to secure second place.
Lando Norris narrowly held onto third, but not without drama. On the final lap, Leclerc nearly collided with the McLaren at Turn 15 after being caught off guard by Norris' early braking. George Russell, who had been a contender early in the race, faded to fifth place behind Leclerc as his tires degraded. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, enduring a quiet race as the team's pace dwindled in the heat.
Kevin Magnussen gave Haas something to cheer about by finishing seventh, while his teammate Nico Hulkenberg took the final point in eighth. Magnussen notably defied team orders to let Yuki Tsunoda repass earlier in the race, feeling that Tsunoda had unfairly pushed him off track during an earlier attempt to pass.
Tsunoda’s aggressive defense in the closing stages wasn’t enough to hold off Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri, who both passed the AlphaTauri driver. Piastri managed to hold onto 10th place despite a five-second penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly off the road.
Qualifying
Q1
The first qualifying session (Q1) began with a surprising early exit for Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion struggled with oversteer, particularly at Turn 12, where a snap cost him significant time. Hamilton ended up only 19th on the grid, unable to gain enough pace compared to his teammate George Russell.
Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll managed to jump out of the drop zone with last-minute laps, which pushed Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto down and out. Both Sauber drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, were eliminated as well, despite setting personal bests on their final attempts. Bottas finished 18th ahead of Hamilton, with Zhou bringing up the rear in 20th.
Q2
Q2 saw a number of notable eliminations, including Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Lance Stroll. Hulkenberg locked up at Turn 1, struggling with oversteer and failing to set a competitive time. Esteban Ocon, in the Alpine, also missed the cut, as did Stroll, who couldn’t match the pace of his Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso, who made it through to Q3.
Yuki Tsunoda had difficulties as well, despite receiving a tow from teammate Liam Lawson on both of his runs. Lawson, who was penalized and unlikely to compete seriously in the session, managed to assist Tsunoda, but the Japanese driver couldn't make it to Q3. Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, secured his spot in the top 10, although he would face a post-qualifying investigation for a near-collision with Max Verstappen in the pitlane.
Q3
The final segment, Q3, delivered the most drama of the day. Lando Norris, who had already taken the lead after the first set of flying laps, held a slim 0.031s advantage over Verstappen. Norris had a strong middle sector but nearly lost control with a snap through the penultimate corner.
Max Verstappen, looking to snatch pole, was on a flying lap when George Russell crashed his Mercedes at the penultimate corner. Russell lost the rear of his car and slid off into the barriers, bringing out double yellow flags and preventing anyone from completing their final laps, including Verstappen, who had gained nearly 0.2s in the first sector.
As a result, the order was locked in, with Norris securing pole position, followed by Verstappen. Carlos Sainz took third for Ferrari, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth. Oscar Piastri finished fifth in the other McLaren, while Russell, despite his crash, managed to qualify sixth.
Gasly, Alonso, Magnussen, and Perez rounded out the top 10. Sergio Perez struggled throughout the session and saw his first lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9, leaving him unable to challenge for a higher position.
Norris then headed into Sunday’s race in the best possible position, capitalizing on a dramatic Q3 to edge Verstappen for pole.
Race
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured his third victory of the 2024 Formula 1 season at the United States Grand Prix, leading a brilliant 1-2 finish for the Scuderia with teammate Carlos Sainz close behind. The race saw intense battles, strategic gambles, and a dramatic turn of events as McLaren’s Lando Norris lost out on a podium due to a five-second penalty in a fierce duel with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Starting from fourth on the grid, Leclerc made an excellent getaway at the Circuit of the Americas, taking advantage of the tussle between Norris and Verstappen on the front row. As Norris took a cautious approach into the first corner, Leclerc seized the moment, cutting down the inside of Turn 1 to overtake both drivers and grab the lead. The Monegasque immediately built a 1.6-second gap by the end of the first lap, putting himself out of reach of Verstappen's DRS in the opening laps.
Leclerc’s lead, however, was soon under threat as a safety car was deployed on the third lap due to Lewis Hamilton spinning off at Turn 18. Hamilton’s Mercedes ended up beached in the gravel, bringing a premature end to a dismal weekend for the seven-time world champion, who had already been eliminated in Q1 during qualifying.
Despite the restart, Leclerc managed to keep Verstappen at bay, expertly defending his lead through the complex of turns from Turn 2 to Turn 8. With Verstappen unable to mount a serious challenge, Leclerc held his position, setting the stage for a long and strategic race.
Ferrari, like most teams, opted for a one-stop strategy. Leclerc pitted on lap 26, briefly surrendering the lead to the long-running McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were trying to capitalize on fresher tires later in the race. However, once Norris and Piastri made their pit stops, Leclerc reclaimed his position at the front of the pack.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, who had earlier reported power issues, was able to resolve them and remain in contention. The Spaniard pulled off a well-timed undercut on Verstappen by pitting four laps earlier, which enabled him to leapfrog the Red Bull and secure second place. While Sainz was able to close the gap to his teammate from seven seconds down to under six, Leclerc maintained a steady pace, comfortably taking the checkered flag for a Ferrari 1-2.
The most thrilling part of the race unfolded in the battle for the final podium spot. Verstappen, struggling on older hard tires, found himself under pressure from Norris, who was flying on a fresher set of Pirellis. Starting six seconds behind the Red Bull, Norris gradually closed the gap, getting within DRS range by lap 45 and setting up a tense showdown between the two championship rivals.
Lap after lap, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen, but the Dutchman’s defense was solid. Verstappen expertly positioned his car to prevent Norris from getting within the half-second gap required to launch a serious attack on the back straight and into Turn 12.
The tension reached its peak on lap 52 when Norris made a bold move around the outside of Verstappen. However, both drivers went wide, and Norris completed the pass off-track, prompting immediate concern about a potential penalty. Although Norris tried to increase the gap to cover off a five-second penalty, he was only able to build a 4.1-second lead over Verstappen.
As expected, the stewards handed Norris a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by going off the track. This relegated him to fourth place, allowing Verstappen to claim the final podium spot by just 0.9 seconds. Despite the setback, Norris put in a valiant performance throughout the race and narrowly missed out on his second consecutive podium.
Oscar Piastri finished fifth, less than 1.5 seconds behind Norris after his penalty. The Australian had a solid race, managing his tires well and holding off any threats from behind. His consistency continues to impress as McLaren seeks to challenge the top teams regularly.
George Russell, who started from the pit lane after his crash during qualifying, delivered an outstanding recovery drive. He climbed through the field, eventually finishing sixth after passing Sergio Perez in the latter stages of the race. Russell’s result was a highlight for Mercedes on what was otherwise a disappointing weekend, particularly after Hamilton's early retirement.
Behind the leading pack, Nico Hulkenberg took eighth place for Haas, helping the American team continue its fight for sixth in the constructors’ championship. Hulkenberg’s race strategy and tire management paid off, enabling him to score valuable points.
Liam Lawson made an impressive return to F1 with a ninth-place finish, utilizing a contra-strategy by starting on hard tires. The New Zealander showed maturity and skill as he fought through the midfield to claim points for his team.
Franco Colapinto secured the final point in 10th place, capitalizing on his strategy of starting on hard tires and avoiding the chaos that unfolded around him. He finished eight seconds ahead of Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, whose race was undone by a second pit stop that dropped him out of the points. He even had the fastest lap point at the final stages, before Esteban Ocon pitted to snatch the point away, benefiting Alpine in their constructors race with Williams.
Charles Leclerc’s victory, combined with Carlos Sainz’s second-place finish, marked a perfect day for Ferrari, who executed their race strategy flawlessly and controlled the race from start to finish. For Max Verstappen, while a third-place finish may not have been the win he wanted, his brilliant defensive driving ensured he still stood on the podium.
Lando Norris, despite his impressive speed and determination, will be left wondering what might have been if not for the penalty. His battle with Verstappen was one of the highlights of the race, but the five-second penalty cost him dearly in the end.
With only a few races left in the season, the United States Grand Prix demonstrated that the fight for supremacy in F1 remains intense, with Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull continuing to push each other to the limit.
Ferrari’s resurgence in Austin, coupled with dramatic battles throughout the grid, sets the stage for an exciting conclusion to the 2024 Formula 1 constructors championship. With their strong recent performances, Ferrari might deny RedBull even P2 in the championship come abu dhabi.
