Leclerc wins, Verstappen on the podium after penalty for Norris
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Charles Leclerc has won the 2024 US Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz finished in second place behind his Monegasque teammate, however, the battle between championship rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen stole the show from the Ferrari one-two at the Circuit of the Americas. Norris finished in P3 on track, however, he received a five-second penalty, therefore, the Dutchman finishes on the podium.
Ferrari could off their great pace they already presented during Saturday's Sprint event, and Leclerc and Sainz confidently finished in P1 and P2. Still, focus was on the two championship rivals, who battled during the final 10 laps against each other. Norris could overtake Verstappen on Lap 52, but he went off the track. The Briton received a five-second penalty, and therefore had to settle for P4.
Oscar Piastri finished in P5, while thanks to a great recovery drive starting from the pit lane, George Russell could overtake Sergio Perez on the penultimate lap and finished in P6. The Mexican also lost a lot of time failing to overtake Franco Colapinto while the Argentinian was on old hard tyres.
Nico Hulkenberg brought home four points for Haas at one of their three home Grands Prix and finished in eighth position. Liam Lawson and Colapinto both did well with starting on the hard tyres, and crossed the finish line in P9 and P10 respectively.
As it happened
Each of the top 10 drivers began the Grand Prix on a new set of medium tyres. After a difficult qualifying session for Mercedes, both Hamilton and Russell opted to start on a set of new hard tyres.
Max Verstappen was really agressive on the line, and the Dutchman dived down the inside of Norris, but as the two went wide, Leclerc could take the lead. The Briton also lost a place to Sainz, and was not happy with his rival, calling the Turn 1 incident similar to the one at the Hungarian GP. Into Turn 12, Sainz then tried to get past Verstappen, but the Dutchman could remain in second place. Alex Albon also span out Esteban Ocon into Turn 1.
At the back, Lewis Hamilton also had a great start, as he could gain five positions. On Lap 2 however, he was stuck in the gravel trap as he lost his car in the same corner where Russell crashed yesterday, causing the first Safety Car since the Canadian GP. Verstappen was close to Leclerc following the restart, but he couldn't make a move into Turn 1.
Starting from the back, Russell did not hesitate to make moves after the Safety Car, however, he received a five-second penalty for his overtake on Valtteri Bottas for forcing another driver off the track.
By Lap 20, Leclerc began to consolidate his lead on the first stint, leading ahead of Verstappen by more than eight seconds. Two laps later, Ferrari decided to undercut Verstappen with Sainz. To that, the Dutchman responded four laps later, as a result, the Spaniard could jump him. Leclerc also reacted to Verstappen on Lap 27, as a result, Norris took the lead of the Grand Prix.
The two McLarens pitted on Lap 32 and 33 respectively, as Norris returned to the track in fourth position, nearly six seconds behind Verstappen, but the British driver began to set fastest laps repeatedly. As Norris continued to cut the gap to his rival, Verstappen said he is not happy with his hard tyres. Piastri also remained in P5 after his stop, and was ahead of Russell, who was yet to pit at that point.
On Lap 44, Norris caught up to Verstappen, and was in DRS distance. On Lap 47, the Briton made his first move, but Verstappen could defend well in the technical sector after the backstraight. On Lap 51, Norris was once again close, but he could not get past the Red Bull. The Brit could complete the move on Lap 52 in Turn 12, however, he went off the track. McLaren decided not to give the position back, and Norris received a five-second penalty.