Formula One - Leclerc's Lone Star domination

Leclerc takes a dominant win in the Lone Star state as title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris come together in yet another controversial incident for the FIA.

PRE WEEKEND NOTES

After a four week break leading up to the United States Grand Prix, the biggest news was that Daniel Ricciardo was leaving VCARB and being replaced by Liam Lawson, with immediate effect. The news had been highly speculated for many races and was seemingly confirmed in media interviews at the Singapore Grand Prix where Ricciardo made multiple thinly veiled references to the event being his last potential outing in an F1 car.

In the week leading up to the Grand Prix a new scandal arose as McLaren led a protest against a device on the RB20’s that allowed for the ride height of the front bib to be altered under parc-ferme conditions. The protest appeared to be at least partially retaliatory for the ‘flexi-wing’ protest that Red Bull filed after McLaren’s low downforce rear wing was seen to be flexing to give the MCL38 what many have since referred to as ‘mini-DRS’. The FIA’s investigation into the front bib device found that there was such a device fitted on both Red Bull cars, but it was behind the pedals and deep inside the nose cone unit. This ultimately means that it could not be accessed or altered during the race by the drivers, and could not be altered in parc-ferme without significant de-construction of the car which would grab the attention of the FIA, as well as other teams.

Photo: Steven Tee

SPRINT QUALIFYING

Sprint Qualifying one saw a rather tame session until the final minutes where Piastri invalidated his lap time at turn nineteen forcing him below the cutline in sixteenth place. The other drivers out in SQ1 were Ocon, Albon who spun coming out of turn nineteen on a lap that would most likely have seen him progress, Bottas and Zhou.

Sprint Qualifying two was again a relatively standard session, after the first laps Sainz was on provisional pole with the Mercedes of Hamilton sitting in second in a car that was seemingly far more stable than in free practice. In the final minute of SQ2 Perez was knocked out by the VCARB of Tsunoda in an embarrassment for the Mexican who is under severe scrutiny from both Red Bull and the F1 community for his performance. The drivers out in SQ2 were Perez, Lawson, Gasly, Stroll and Alonso.

Sprint Qualifying three saw a rather tense session as many teams only had one pair of new soft tyres left. This left teams conscious that with the improving track conditions, it was a risk that being last across the line could lead to the lap being compromised by yellow or possibly red flags. In the end it was a spectacular lap from Max Verstappen to go on pole, without setting a single overall best sector time. The Mercedes of George Russell trailed by just twelve thousandths of a second with Leclerc lining up in third. The rest of the top ten were Norris, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Magnussen, Tsunoda and Colapinto in another impressive session from the rookie Williams driver.

Photo: Glenn Dunbar

SPRINT RACE

Albon was required to start from the pitlane after the Williams team made setup adjustments to the car under parc-ferme conditions.

The first lap of the sprint race saw significant change at the front as Lando Norris made his way past both Charles Leclerc and George Russell in the first three corners to rocket his McLaren MCL38 from fourth to second. In the following laps Leclerc would hassle Russell over third place but was unsuccessful. This lack of progress allowed the sister Ferrari in the hands of Carlos Sainz to catch up the battling duo, and on lap five Sainz made the overtake on his teammate for fourth place, allowing him to start chasing Russell for third.

Whilst the lead battle progressed, significant moves in the midfield occurred as Piastri fought his way up to twelfth by lap eight as he desperately tried to bring in some crucial points for the team and himself after starting sixteenth. The next lap would see Carlos Sainz continue to progress up the grid as he got past George Russell for third, this move would be followed by Charles Leclerc making his way past the struggling Mercedes driver on the next lap. On lap eleven a five second penalty was handed to Oscar Piastri for forcing Pierre Gasly off-track during an overtake at turn twelve. As the race headed onto the final lap, Lando Norris made a massive error as he locked up his front tires under pressure from Sainz into turn one. This allowed Sainz to get past, while Norris struggled to hold off Leclerc for the final podium position. The sprint race saw a return to winning form for Max Verstappen as Sainz and Norris came home to round out the podium. The rest of the points scorers were Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Magnussen and Hulkenberg as Haas came home with double points for the first time at their home race, albeit not during the feature race.

Photo: Steven Tee

QUALIFYING

Qualifying one saw Verstappen leading the way after the first runs were completed by the top teams, followed by Norris, Perez, Sainz and Piastri in what appeared to be the beginning of a return to good form for both of the Red Bull drivers. After all of the drivers had finished their first runs it was Pierre Gasly who was topping the times ahead of Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Lawson and Ocon in what might be the strangest Q1 order this season. 

Out in Q1: Albon, Colapinto, Bottas, Hamilton, Zhou.

In Qualifying two, Max Verstappen beat the 2023 pole time on his first lap whilst running used soft tyres. After the first runs, Norris found his way to the top of the time charts with Verstappen, Piastri, Russell and Gasly rounding out the top five. Liam Lawson was able to show strong pace but would not complete a lap as the VCARB team knew there was a significant penalty coming their way. 

Out in Q2: Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Stroll, Lawson.

Soon enough it was time for qualifying three, with the top ten shootout for the feature race pole position at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Max Verstappen and Red Bull chose to start the session on used soft tyres, a call that would later prove crucial to the starting position of the reigning world champion. After the first run, Norris once again topped the time sheets as the McLaren team made the wise choice to bring two sets of new soft tyres over to Q3. The rest of the top ten consisted of Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Gasly, Alonso, Magnussen and Perez who was unable to set a valid lap. As the final runs got underway George Russell’s Mercedes stalled out whilst turning into turn nineteen, which forced the car into an uncontrollable spin due to the sudden loss of downforce. Russell’s car ended up in the barrier, with significant damage to the front right. With less than a minute and a half left on the clock the session was red flagged and qualifying was brought to a premature end, denying Verstappen, or anyone else, the chance to beat Norris to pole position. Lando Norris took his first pole position at the Circuit of the Americas, just ahead of his title rival Max Verstappen.

Top 10: Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Gasly, Alonso, Magnnussen, Perez.

Photo: Sam Bloxham

RACE

Following George Russell’s major incident at the end of qualifying, the Mercedes team were unable to get the car fixed before parc-ferme forced them to stop and leave the car overnight. The team took the opportunity and proactively altered the Britons setup to prevent the same issue that put the end to his qualifying. This meant George Russell would start from the pitlane, and wasn’t the only driver facing starting grid penalties, as Liam Lawson also received a penalty for taking multiple new internal combustion engine components. As a result, the Kiwi would start from the back of the grid in his first Formula One race in over a year.

The opening lap saw Lando Norris lose the lead after starting from pole, as he struggled to fend off Max Verstappen. The McLaren driver anticipated Verstappen’s move and covered the inside, but the three-time champion was determined and forced his way into the lead at turn one. Both drivers went off track, allowing Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari to seize the opportunity and rocket into the lead by turn three, after starting in fourth position. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon’s race took an early hit when he was spun by Alexander Albon after a late move from Lewis Hamilton at turn one, dropping Ocon to nineteenth, just ahead of George Russell who started from the pitlane.

The race remained stable until disaster struck for Lewis Hamilton at the end of lap two as he suffered a crash at turn nineteen, similar to his teammate Russell’s during qualifying on Saturday. With Hamilton out, a decision to alter Russell’s setup suddenly looked brilliant, as Mercedes was now down to just one car. A safety car was deployed at the start of lap three, and ended on lap six. No one took the chance to pit, as it was way too early in the race, and the restart was smooth and clean.

Haas continued to impress, with Nico Hulkenberg moving into the points-paying positions by lap seven. The American team, on home soil looked poised for another strong showing, aiming for double points in both the sprint and feature race. However, the race remained calm until an incident on lap fifteen involving George Russell, who forced Valtteri Bottas off track at turn twelve. Russell received a five-second penalty, the first of several controversial moments throughout the race. Max Verstappen reported a potential issue to his team, but Red Bull reassured him it could be managed, offering relief as the Dutchman couldn’t afford to lose points to Norris if he hoped to secure his fourth drivers’ title.

The pit cycle began with Kevin Magnussen, as Haas tried to undercut Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, to which Alpine responded immediately. However a slow pit stop for Gasly cost him several positions. Carlos Sainz was the first front-runner to pit on lap twenty-two, aiming to undercut both Verstappen and Norris, however Red Bull and McLaren remained committed to a one-stop strategy, believing Ferrari’s early stop would signal a two-stop approach. Verstappen made his sole pit stop on lap twenty-five, followed by Leclerc a lap later, although the Ferrari driver likely didn’t need to worry about Verstappen’s undercut. Norris inherited the lead of the race, and stayed out until lap thirty-two, banking on fresher tyres later on in the race.

Haas’ hopes for another double points finish were abruptly brought to an end when Magnussen was forced to make an urgent pit stop, likely due to a slow puncture, dropping him, and the team out of contention.

Norris’s significant tire advantage allowed him to close in on Verstappen by lap forty-six, getting within DRS range. This gave Norris only ten laps to get past, with one of the most defensive drivers on the grid. As their battle intensified, Franco Colapinto climbed into the points and set the fastest lap on lap forty-seven, proving the Argentines' worth to James Vowles after replacing Logan Sargeant earlier in the season. On lap fifty-two, Norris finally passed Verstappen at turn twelve, but the move was placed under investigation by the FIA for an off-track overtake. McLaren believed Norris was sufficiently alongside Verstappen at the apex, and instructed him to hold the position he just gained.

After two laps of review, the FIA handed Lando Norris a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The penalty sparked controversy, with many arguing Norris deserved more room from Verstappen, but the current rules didn’t agree. The incident may reignite debate around the overtaking regulations, particularly regarding how inside cars can control the line at corner apexes.

Photo: Andy Hone

At the chequered flag, Ferrari celebrated a one-two finish, with Leclerc taking the win ahead of Sainz. However, the race’s focus shifted to the contentious FIA decision in the Norris-Verstappen incident, which dropped Norris to fourth by just two-tenths behind his title rival. Verstappen took third, while Oscar Piastri finished fifth, and Russell climbed to sixth after overtaking Sergio Perez on the final lap. Hulkenberg finished eighth, though Haas was left disappointed after earlier expectations of a guaranteed double points finish. Liam Lawson impressed by finishing ninth, having started from nineteenth, with strong pace and tire management making a strong case for the Kiwi in a full-time Red Bull seat in 2025. Franco Colapinto rounded out the points in tenth, securing his fifth point for Williams in only four races, sitting closely behind his teammate Alex Albon by just seven points. This could bring potential difficulty for James Vowles at the end of the season.

Photo: Simon Galloway

DRIVER OF THE RACE

My vote goes to both Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson, as they exceeded expectations, and outperformed both of their teammates by starting from the back of the grid to finish in the points.

FLOP OF THE RACE

The clear choice is Alpine, with the French team throwing away their best chance at major points for the championship. A fumbled pit stop for Pierre Gasly cost them massively, finishing twelfth, and Ocon, despite minor damage from his first-lap spin, finished a disappointing eighteenth.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MEXICO

The Formula One season continues as we head to Mexico City, the middle race of the first of two triple-headers to close out the 2024 season. It’s a home race for Sergio Perez, who will be eager to return to form amid growing speculation about his future at Red Bull, especially after Liam Lawson’s standout performance this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. Lando Norris must start creating more distance between himself and Verstappen, needing to score an average of twelve points per weekend to claim the drivers’ championship. Ferrari, on a late surge, will aim to keep the pressure on Red Bull and McLaren as the constructors’ championship battle heats up. Exciting action is guaranteed at the high-altitude circuit in Mexico!​