In some surprises, Scuderia Ferrari dominated the US Grand Prix, while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, who were the favorites before the race, could only fight for third place.
Charles Leclerc brilliantly recognized the “small gap” offered by Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the start, and from fourth place he immediately moved to first place. His compatriot Lewis Hamilton also had a great start, within a few corners he went from last place to 12th (!!) place, but as fast as he was, his misfortune soon overtook him… The Briton got into the gravel at the same place where George Russell crashed yesterday during qualifying, and so he said goodbye to another fight. The safety car came out, and even with the departure of the safety car, the fundamental picture did not change: Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were still at the front. They were followed by two McLarens, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Then came another spin by Guanyu Zhou and some fighting in the back positions, but by that time it was unfortunately clear that the 2024 US Grand Prix would not be recorded as the race of the decade.
After the pit stops the field changed a bit, with the two Scuderia Ferraris now dominating the race, while Verstappen struggled on the hard tyres. We saw various strategies and tactics, but unfortunately far fewer moments that resembled racing. We expected the fast-approaching Norris to bring some fire to the Austin desert, and also from Liam Lawson, who put in a great performance on his return. The intensity of the race was well illustrated by the fact that for ten long laps the broadcast showed nothing but Norris chasing Verstappen - for the simple reason that there was nothing else going on.
In the end, Norris managed to swap places, but illegally, leaving Charles Leclerc, who won the US Grand Prix, and Carlos Sainz second, with Max Verstappen eventually arriving in third place.
