United States GP: Charles Leclerc leads dominant Ferrari 1-2 in Austin

Motorsports Oct 21, 2024 0 205 Add to Reading List

21st October 2024
By Chukwu Ziteihe Ikeokwu

Charles Leclerc superbly won the United States Grand Prix in a surprisingly-dominant one-two for Ferrari as Lando Norris lost a crucial third place to Max Verstappen after being penalised for a late-race overtake on his F1 title rival.

While Ferrari overcame the championship's top two in a supreme show of speed from the second row as Leclerc led home team-mate Carlos Sainz, all eyes still ended up being on the title protagonists as they duelled over the final podium berth in a gripping, tense and ultimately controversial conclusion to the race at the Circuit of the Americas.

Having dropped from pole position to fourth behind Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers in a wretched start to the race, Norris relentlessly came back at his title rival into the closing laps after McLaren had delayed the Briton's sole pit stop to ensure he had fresher tyres than his Red Bull rival for the end.

Wiping out what was a 6.6-second advantage for Verstappen on his return to the track in the space of 12 laps, Norris spent the next 10 tours in DRS overtaking range of the Dutchman before launching what he thought was a crucial overtake into Turn 12 on lap 52.