The U.S. Grand Prix 2024 ended with a 1-2 finish from Ferrari at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
McClaren's driver Lando Norris started in the pole position, but he wasn’t aggressive enough to keep his position in first place.
Norris lost the lead on the first turn opening it up for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc to take over, jumping into the lead within seconds of the first lap, followed by his teammate Carlos Sainz.
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He took the lead at Turn 1 and never looked back 💪@Charles_Leclerc completes a commanding win in Austin 🏆#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/sxbrPMFeJr
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024
"It hasn't been an easy weekend for the team, but we made it." Leclerc said. "Keeping a steady pace was the goal and with the help of our engineers we were able to win."
But not every driver had the same experience at the U.S. GP 2024. Lewis Hamilton's experience at COTA went from bad to worse. The English driver started at P17 and spun out on lap three out of turn eighteen. Hamilton got stuck in the gravel and left the race early on a sour note.
This is the first time Hamilton failed to finish a race in Austin.
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Even though Ferrari led the race effortlessly, the highlight of the day was the thrilling battle between Max Verstappen and Norris for third place.
"It was quite a difficult race," Verstappen said.
As the race entered into its final laps, Norris overtook Verstappen for P3 after a tight battle. The move sparked radio debate, with Verstappen and Red Bull arguing that Norris had gone outside track limits.
Norris received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, dropping him down from third to fourth and promoting Verstappen to the final podium position.
It was a race where the tires dictated the pace of the race with the track temperature starting at 47 degrees Celsius.
This is the first 1-2 finish for Ferrari in the U.S. in 18 years.
Verstappen has won the past three years in Austin.
The next race in the U.S. is the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which takes place over 50 laps of the 6.2 kilometers Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Nevada, USA, on Saturday, Nov. 23.
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