HEADLINE; Weekend to forget for Sir Lewis Hamilton……

 

CHARLES Leclerc secured his eighth career victory in The Lone Star State, leading Ferrari to a dominant one-two finish with teammate Carlos Sainz coming second. This marks Ferrari’s first one-two on American soil in 18 years, reigniting the team’s momentum as the season draws to a close, reports Damian Hall.

Leclerc reflected on the weekend, saying: “It hasn’t been easy up until now; I’ve been struggling with the feeling of the car. Really happy for the team’s 1-2 – we couldn’t have dreamed of better.”

Starting from fourth, Leclerc made a superb getaway, perfectly positioning himself to capitalise on the battle between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris. As the two championship contenders tangled at Turn 1, Leclerc seized the opportunity to snatch the lead.

“That obviously helped today,” Leclerc explained. “The first stint, we had mega pace, and in the second stint, it was all about managing the gap behind. We did a great job. The pace of the car today, and this weekend overall, was really good – that’s mostly thanks to the engineers.”

Leclerc concluded by praising the team: “The whole team is working super well. Pit stops were really good, everything worked out perfectly, so I’m really happy.”

Teammate Carlos Sainz echoed this sentiment: “First of all, congratulations to the team and to Charles for an amazing result—it puts us exactly where we want to be in the fight for the Constructors’ Championship.”

Ferrari sits third in the Constructors’ standings, just eight points behind Red Bull and 48 points off current leaders McLaren.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, despite a strong weekend, struggled to keep pace with Ferrari and only just secured third place after a chaotic finish.

“It was quite a difficult race; we never had the pace to attack,” Verstappen admitted. “I tried everything I could to keep Lando behind, but being on the podium is still a good result. For us, it was a race where we learnt a lot, and we’ll just analyse that.”

Starting from second, Verstappen battled Norris through Turn 1. Norris defended well, leaving enough space for Verstappen to dive inside but limiting his exit. Verstappen took the chance but ran wider than Norris anticipated, forcing the McLaren driver off the track to avoid contact. This loss of momentum allowed Leclerc to grab the lead, with Verstappen holding second by fending off Sainz, while Norris dropped to fourth.

Lacking pace, Red Bull opted to prioritise their battle with McLaren rather than covering Ferrari’s pit strategy. Ferrari pitted Sainz early to attempt an undercut – a strategy where pitting early on fresh tyres can help gain time before rivals stop. With fresher tyres offering better grip, the undercut can allow drivers to leapfrog competitors during pit stops.

Red Bull, however, chose not to respond immediately, focusing instead on track position over McLaren. When Verstappen eventually pitted, McLaren kept Norris out longer, banking on fresher tyres for the final stint.

When Norris re-joined behind Verstappen, his tyre advantage allowed him to close the gap rapidly. By Lap 44, he was within DRS range. On Lap 52, he attempted a bold move around the outside, but Verstappen defended tactfully, forcing Norris off the track.

Although Norris completed the pass, doing so off the circuit is not allowed. Instead of surrendering the position, McLaren instructed him to keep pushing. After reviewing the incident, the stewards handed Norris a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track. Crossing the line in third, Norris was only four seconds ahead of Verstappen, meaning the penalty relegated him to fourth, with Verstappen securing the final podium spot.

Verstappen’s third-place finish extended his championship lead over Norris by three more points, giving him a total of 57-point advantage with only a few races remaining.

While Ferrari and Red Bull locked horns at the front, Mercedes endured a weekend to forget. George Russell, who crashed in qualifying, started from the pit lane with an older-spec car after repairs. Meanwhile, Sir Lewis Hamilton, initially set to start 19th, was promoted to 17th on the grid after penalties reshuffled the order.

Hamilton made an impressive start, gaining five positions on the opening lap. However, his race ended prematurely on Lap 2 when he ran wide at Turn 19 and became stranded in the gravel, triggering a safety car.

After the race, Hamilton posted on social media: “Not the weekend we wanted, but mega drive from @georgerussell63 to go from pit lane to P6. Well done, mate.”

Russell fought hard from the back, salvaging sixth place – a small consolation for what proved to be a challenging weekend for Mercedes. The team currently sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

In the midfield, several standout performances earned valuable points. Home team Haas delighted fans as Nico Hülkenberg secured four points with an eighth-place finish. VCARB rookie Liam Lawson, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo, earned two points in ninth, while Williams rookie Franco Colapinto marked his debut by scoring his first point with a tenth-place finish.

Formula 1 now heads to Mexico City for the Formula 1 Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México 2024, presented by Heineken. The event will take place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (Rodriguez Brothers Racetrack) from October 25 -27.

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