Charles Leclerc pulled off a spectacular victory at the U.S. Grand Prix, leading Ferrari to a dazzling one-two finish, with teammate Carlos Sainz hot on his heels. The dramatic race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas saw Leclerc score his third win of the season.
It adds to his triumphs in Monaco and Monza and the win marked the end of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s three-year dominance at the Texas circuit and left Formula One fans buzzing after an eventful day on the track.
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“One-two for the team. We couldn’t have dreamt for better,” Leclerc enthused post-race, giving full credit to Ferrari’s engineering team. “The pace of the car was really good. That’s thanks to the engineers. They have been working like crazy to bring upgrades that we had in Singapore and the last few races. It seems to be paying off.”
While Ferrari celebrated, Verstappen, the reigning triple world champion, had to settle for third place after an intense showdown with McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished fourth. Verstappen, who extended his title lead over Norris to 57 points with five rounds left, faced stiff competition from the Brit in the final laps.
Norris, starting from pole, had a golden opportunity to take the fight to Verstappen, and four laps from the end, he did just that—overtaking the Dutchman on fresher tires. However, it wasn’t without controversy. Norris’ move was short-lived after being slapped with a five-second penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage during the overtake.
The penalty pushed Norris down to fourth, crushing McLaren’s hopes of closing the championship gap. The fiery overtaking maneuver dominated post-race conversations, with many questioning the severity of the penalty. McLaren boss Zak Brown voiced his frustrations, describing the move as “a bit of a dive bomb.”
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Norris, still heated after the race, didn’t hold back, accusing Verstappen of playing dirty. “He clearly pushed me off. He had no intent to make the corner,” Norris said over the radio, clearly fuming. “Even he went off the track. I had to avoid crashing into him or him into me.”
The safety car also made an unexpected appearance early on when seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton spun off and beached his Mercedes on lap two. It was a bitter blow for Hamilton, whose weekend had already taken a nosedive after a disastrous qualifying session left him starting from 17th on the grid. His retirement marked a tough end to what’s been a difficult season.
Elsewhere, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished fifth, followed by George Russell in sixth for Mercedes. Sergio Perez took seventh, while Nico Hulkenberg brought home much-needed points for U.S.-owned Haas in eighth. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Liam Lawson impressed with a ninth-place finish after starting at the back of the grid, and rookie sensation Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten for Williams, continuing his remarkable debut season.
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