Domination in Austin: Leclerc secures third win of 2024
Image: @ScuderiaFerrari on Twitter/X
Resident Monegasque Charles Leclerc led a dominant Ferrari one-two finish at the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin, with teammate Sainz finishing second. Max Verstappen secured a crucial third after Lando Norris received a five-second penalty for off-track antics, which dropped him to fourth as the flag fell. The race was one of strategic pit strategies and penalties, influencing the final standings as we enter the business end of the season - it could go down to the wire!
Sprint Race
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
Max Verstappen secured a confident sprint victory at the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin, starting from pole position and leading the entire 19-lap race. He finished ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who took second place after overtaking Lando Norris on the final lap. Norris, who had initially moved up to second, had to settle for third after locking up at Turn 1 and Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while George Russell recovered to P5 despite a poor start. Lewis Hamilton and the Haas pair of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top eight.
Qualifying
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
Lando Norris clinched pole position for the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin, edging out title rival Max Verstappen by just 0.031 seconds. Norris delivered a blistering provisional pole lap in the final part of qualifying, securing the top spot. Verstappen, who looked set to take pole, was unable to complete his final lap due to double-waved yellows caused by a crash from George Russell in the final sector. Fortunately, Russell emerged unharmed from the incident.
The Brackley team had the below to say about the crash on Twitter - rather to the point!
Carlos Sainz finished third, out-qualifying his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who came in fourth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five, while George Russell, despite his crash, managed to secure P6. Pierre Gasly impressed for Alpine in seventh, ahead of Fernando Alonso in eighth. Kevin Magnussen finished ninth, while Sergio Perez failed to set a representative time and ended up 10th.
Mercedes had a challenging session, with Lewis Hamilton exiting early in Q1 and finishing 19th - George Russell started the race from the pitlane due to a penalty for Mercedes not covering his car within the required time after qualifying.
The Horses Prance Again
Image: @ScuderiaFerrari on Twitter/X
Charles Leclerc led the race from start to finish, showcasing a commanding performance at the 2024 United States Grand Prix in Austin. Starting in fourth on the grid, he made an impressive start, pulling off ‘the old switcheroo’ on the battling cars of Norris and Verstappen to take the lead by the first corner. He quickly established a comfortable lead, disappearing down the road.
Leclerc maintained his lead throughout the race, consistently setting fast lap times and managing his tires effectively. Teammate Sainz was also in the mix, benefiting from a well-timed pit stop to move up the order. Sainz made a late-race push, overtaking to secure second place and ensuring a Ferrari one-two finish. Leclerc crossed the finish line first, claiming a flawless victory and increasing his tally to three for the 2024 season.
Verstappen and Norris lock horns once more
Max Verstappen struggled in race pace initially but managed to secure third place after Lando Norris received a five-second penalty for track limits violations, dropping Norris to fourth.
The main point of contention came when, on lap 52, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen on the outside and caused both drivers to go off the track. Norris managed to rejoin ahead of Verstappen, but was later given a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track. This penalty demoted Norris to fourth place, allowing Verstappen to retain his position.
Image: Formula One
The incident sparked a debate among drivers, teams and fans online, with McLaren lodging a 'right to review' request, arguing that Verstappen should have been penalised as well. The FIA however rejected McLaren's request, maintaining that Verstappen's defence was within the rules.
Team Principal Andrea Stella gave his firm opinion on the incident post-race:
“[Norris] lost the podium because of a penalty we don’t understand nor agree with. We feel this was an inappropriate way to change the result of a race.”
Elsewhere on the grid…
Image: @AstonMartinF1 on Twitter/X
Haas: Nico Hulkenberg delivered a solid performance, finishing in 8th place. Magnussen led a relatively lonely race, closing out just outside the points in P11.
Williams: Franco Colapinto had a commendable race, securing a 10th place finish and bringing home a point for the Grove team. This was a great result for the young Argentinian, showing grit and speed, despite not currently having a guaranteed seat for next year.
Alpine: Gasly crossed the line in P12 , while Esteban Ocon managed to claim the fastest lap of the race, although finishing in 18th place.
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso ended up a disappointing 13th place, with Lance Stroll only managing 15th place.
Kick Sauber: Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu struggled during the race, finishing in 17th and 19th place respectively. This continues the team’s dry run of points.
RB: Yuki Tsunoda had a tricky race, ultimately finishing in P14 after dropping back due to a spin. Despite the challenges, Tsunoda managed to complete the race. Liam Lawson claimed an impressive P9 after cutting through the field from all the way back in P19 after taking an additional power unit penalty.
It’s the Mexican Grand Prix next and we can’t wait - will Perez finally be able to deliver a strong result in front of his home fans in potentially his last Mexican GP for Red Bull?
Whatever happens, we’ll be covering the very best of the action here at Race Reaction.
Final race classification
1 - Charles LECLERC
2 - Carlos SAINZ
3 - Max VERSTAPPEN
4 - Lando NORRIS
5 - Oscar PIASTRI
6 - George RUSSELL
7 - Sergio PEREZ
8 - Nico HULKENBERG
9 - Liam LAWSON
10 - Franco COLAPINTO
11 - Kevin MAGNUSSEN
12 - Pierre GASLY
13 - Fernando ALONSO
14 - Yuki TSUNODA
15 - Lance STROLL
16 - Alexander ALBON
17 - Valtteri BOTTAS
18 - Esteban OCON
19 - Zhou GUANYU
DNF - Lewis HAMILTON
