Ferrari’s Leclerc wins US Grand Prix as Norris, Verstappen clash

Verstappen and Norris are separated by 57 points connected the drivers’ title array aft the race, with Leclerc third.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc clinched his 3rd Formula One contention of the play arsenic helium finished up of teammate Carlos Sainz to triumph the United States Grand Prix, portion rubric rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were locked successful a arguable finish.

Monaco autochthonal Leclerc helped Ferrari decorativeness the contention one-two arsenic Spaniard Sainz was placed second, 8.562 seconds down Leclerc’s winning clip of 1:35:09.639 successful a memorable contention astatine the Circuit of the Americas successful Austin, Texas.

“It wasn’t an casual play but I had the assurance successful the race,” Leclerc said afterwards.

“We inactive had the precocious hand, we couldn’t person dreamed for better.”

Leclerc had besides won the Monaco Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix this twelvemonth and sits 3rd successful the operator standings down Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who tangled precocious successful the contention successful a series that saw Norris person a important penalty.

Norris caught Verstappen and passed him for third, but helium near the way to bash so. The ensuing five-second punishment helium received astatine the extremity of the contention pushed him down Verstappen and backmost to 4th place.

“It’s not an casual decision, it would’ve travel sooner,” Norris said. “I tried, helium besides went disconnected the track. If helium goes disconnected the way helium goes successful excessively hard and gains an advantage. But I don’t marque the rules.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris (right) and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen successful enactment during the closing stages of the contention [Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters]

Ferrari ‘just arsenic competitive’

Norris said the contention was a “momentum killer” for his rubric challenge.

Asked by reporters however overmuch of a ‘killer’ it was for the championship, Norris replied: “Quite a bit. It’s a momentum killer.

“But we came successful present with our caput open, not expecting to predominate oregon conscionable triumph oregon anything. The information that Ferrari was truthful speedy contiguous showed they’re conscionable arsenic competitive,” helium added.

“Even if I came astir crook 1 successful first, I would ne'er person finished archetypal oregon 2nd and I lone could person finished third. But the 1 feline I request to bushed is Max and that’s the feline I didn’t bushed today.

“It was a non-successful weekend, each successful all. But we gave it a bully shot. I tried. It wasn’t bully capable and we person enactment to bash and I person enactment to bash myself.”

McLaren proceed to pb Red Bull successful the constructors’ standings by 40 points, but Ferrari are looming into contention.

Norris needed to bushed Verstappen by much than 8 points a contention play connected mean to person a existent accidental of becoming champion and the task has lone go much hard with 5 rounds remaining.

Verstappen – the three-time reigning F1 champion from the Netherlands – remains atop the operator standings, 57 points wide of the UK’s Norris, but his Grand Prix rubric drought has extended to 9 consecutive races. Verstappen won 7 of 10 to commencement the season.

British F1 icon Lewis Hamilton spun retired astir Turn 19 and was the lone operator not to implicit the race.

DRIVER STANDINGS (after 19/24 rounds)

Verstappen’s pb increases to 57 points #F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/wVXySFRkrX

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024