World Championship leader Max Verstappen ended his extended winless streak by claiming a thrilling victory in the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint, while title contender Lando Norris finished third.
Verstappen, starting from pole, secured his first win in either a Sprint or full-length Grand Prix since June, showing that the extensive upgrades Red Bull introduced in Austin are paying off.
Formula One History Recommends
Norris made a strong start, surging from fourth on the grid to second, but his McLaren struggled with tyre wear, allowing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to overtake him on the final lap. Despite late pressure from Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc, Norris held on to third place. He was later investigated for erratic driving when defending against Leclerc at Turn 15 but escaped without a penalty.
Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship extended by two points, now sitting 54 points ahead of Norris, who still has a chance to gain ground in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Full qualifying for that race takes place later on Saturday at 11 pm, live on Sky Sports F1.
“It feels a bit like old times,” Verstappen said. “I’m very happy with today. Ferrari was also very quick, but we had good pace and could race properly again, which is a great feeling.”
George Russell, who started second, finished fifth ahead of his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, as Mercedes failed to deliver the pace anticipated from their upgraded car. The Haas team’s Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the points-scoring positions, moving Haas above Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings.
The Circuit of the Americas delivered a dramatic race across all 19 laps. Norris got off to a flying start, diving inside at Turn 1 to pass Leclerc and Russell, with Russell putting up a fight before conceding. Norris stayed within DRS range of Verstappen for the first few laps, but the Dutchman pulled clear by lap five.
The early excitement came from the Ferrari drivers, who battled intensely until Sainz overtook Leclerc on lap five. Russell then pressured Norris for second, but overheated his tyres and lost ground to both Ferraris, who passed him on consecutive laps.
As the race approached its final stages, Norris came under threat from both Ferraris. A lock-up into Turn 1 allowed Sainz to take second, and while Leclerc tried to follow, Norris ran wide at Turn 12 and appeared to alter his line at Turn 15, forcing Leclerc to take evasive action. Leclerc ran wide, allowing Norris to secure third at the finish. After reviewing the incident, the stewards ruled that Norris had done nothing wrong.
“It was a good race,” Norris said. “I’m happy with the result. I thought I could hold onto second, but Carlos did a great job. My front tyres were gone by the end.”
While Verstappen enjoyed a return to winning form, he faces a tough challenge to claim his first full-length race win since June 23 at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
With F1’s updated Sprint format for 2024, teams can adjust their setups ahead of full qualifying, giving McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes hope of making gains for the rest of the weekend.
United States GP Sprint Race Results
2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race, 19 October 2024
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | 31:06.146 | 8 |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 19 | +3.882s | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +6.240s | 6 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 19 | +6.956s | 5 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 19 | +15.766s | 4 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 19 | +18.724s | 3 |
| 7 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +25.161s | 2 |
| 8 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +26.588s | 1 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +29.950s | 0 |
| 10 | 81 | Oscar Piastri1 | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +37.059s | 0 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +38.363s | 0 |
| 12 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +39.460s | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +41.236s | 0 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 19 | +41.995s | 0 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 19 | +42.804s | 0 |
| 16 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +44.008s | 0 |
| 17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +44.564s | 0 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +46.807s | 0 |
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +52.842s | 0 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +54.476s | 0 |
Seen in:
