US GP: The “American dream” ends with a Ferrari 1-2 finish and a MAX-terclass

Charles Leclerc wins the US GP and, with Carlos Sainz, he achieves a stunning 1-2 finish for Ferrari. Verstappen can be satisfied with a third place, as he gains ground on Norris.

Charles Leclerc
Photo: Motorsport Images

Ferrari delivered a magnificent race, marking their return to a double podium in Texas after 18 years. With no strategic errors, everything went smoothly, and both drivers showcased a remarkable race pace. Charles Leclerc can celebrate his birthday, having turned 27 on October 16th. In an interview on Thursday, he expressed his wish to win the United States Grand Prix, and he in fact did just that, claiming the top step of the podium, while racing towards victory like the lone star on the Texas flag.

The key moment in Leclerc’s victory was the start, where, as the saying goes, "when two fight, a third benefits”. Starting from fourth place, Leclerc approached T1 fully aware of Verstappen and Norris's intentions. Norris made a good start, but he left the door open for Verstappen, who dove into the inside of the corner. However, the Dutchman ran wide, pushing the Briton to the outside. This allowed Leclerc to capitalize his opportunity for the lead and move into the inside line. Last year, Leclerc faced the same attack from Verstappen that the three-time world champion had just executed on Norris. With Sainz, who started third, blocked by the two contenders, Leclerc’s strategy worked perfectly.

Ferrari wrapped up their success with Sainz's second-place finish, demonstrating his great form this weekend. The Spaniard managed to overtake Verstappen thanks to a strong undercut strategy. This result is crucial for the team from Maranello, as they scored 43 points and are now just 8 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. The hopes for victory were voiced by Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc, who believed that if Ferrari played their cards right, a win was within reach: they were right.

Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen
Photo: Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris engaged in a breathtaking battle, finishing third and fourth, respectively. After a messy overtaking attempt by Verstappen on Norris at the start, the Brit fell to fourth while the Red Bull driver held onto his second-place position, despite pressure from Sainz behind. Sainz then overtook him using an undercut strategy, leading Verstappen to contend with Norris. For many laps, Verstappen demonstrated the art of defense without losing too much time, doing so with great coolness and intelligence. After several uncertain attempts, Norris finally launched his attack: Verstappen braked late, but Norris managed to pass him on the outside. However, the McLaren driver received a 5-second penalty for leaving the track and consequently gaining an advantage.

Verstappen deserves credit for his champion-material defense, while Norris, once again, didn’t prove the necessary coolness and ruthlessness to maintain his lead from the lights out, despite a strong start. The other McLaren, driven by Piastri, finished in fifth place.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen
Photo: Motorsport Images

It was a rather ambiguous weekend for Mercedes. George Russell narrowly missed pole position in the Sprint Race but faced challenges during the race itself. Lewis Hamilton failed to qualify for Q2, while his teammate crashed violently into the barriers at T19. In the race, both started from the back of the grid, with Russell from the pit lane. Just a few laps into the race, Hamilton retired after getting stuck in the gravel at T19. In the end, Russell managed to secure sixth place, which, given the circumstances, was a decent result for the German team.

Sergio Perez finished in seventh place, followed by an unexpected trio: Nico Hülkenberg brought the Haas in the points at his home Grand Prix, Liam Lawson followed closely in ninth with a remarkable comeback, and Franco Colapinto continued to impress, claiming the final point. Both Lawson and Colapinto outperformed their respective teammates, Yuki Tsunoda (14th) and Alex Albon (16th).

Pierre Gasly will definitely feel disappointed. He was having a great race in sixth place before his pit stop. However, a long stop of around 7 seconds forced him back into traffic. From that point on, the Frenchman engaged in several battles but never contended for points again.

To sum up, Ferrari remains competitive on both fronts, and Max Verstappen has extended his lead - although slightly - over Norris, who now has five races to complete a challenging comeback that, as long as it’s mathematically possible, is not impossible.

Race results
P1) Charles Leclerc 1:35:09.639
P2) Carlos Sainz +8.562
P3) Max Verstappen +19.412
P4) Lando Norris +20.354
P5) Oscar Piastri +21.921
P6) george Russell +56.295
P7) Sergio Perez +59.072
P8) Nico Hülkenberg +62.957
P9) Liam Lawson +70.563
P10) Franco Colapinto +71.979