Lando Norris loses third to title rival Max Verstappen after stewards impose five-second time penalty for disputed late-race overtake; Charles Leclerc led home team-mate Carlos Sainz for win in supreme show of Ferrari speed; Lewis Hamilton spun out of race and beached his car on third lap
Monday 21 October 2024 02:06, UK
Charles Leclerc impressively won the United States Grand Prix in a surprisingly-dominant one-two for Ferrari as Lando Norris lost a crucial third place to title rival Max Verstappen after being penalised for a late overtake on his F1 title rival.
While Ferrari overcame the championship's top two in a supreme show of speed from the second row as Leclerc led home team-mate Carlos Sainz, all eyes still ended up being on the title protagonists as they duelled over the final podium berth in a gripping, tense and ultimately controversial conclusion to the race at the Circuit of the Americas.
Having dropped from pole position to fourth, behind Verstappen, in a wretched start to the race, Norris relentlessly came back at his title rival into the closing stages after McLaren had delayed the Briton's sole pit stop to ensure he had fresher tyres than his Red Bull rival for the end of the race.
Norris duly made that tyre advantage count as he quickly caught back up with Dutchman and, having been kept at bay for 10 laps, the McLaren came out of Turn 12 ahead after the pair went wheel-to-wheel into the corner on lap 52 in an incident which saw both cars run wide over the kerb.
But stewards soon ruled that Norris, who had been on the outside, had gained the place unfairly by running wide and then coming back on the track in front to complete the move, with a five-second sanction the resulting penalty.
Having run third to the chequered flag and finished only 4.1s ahead of Verstappen, Norris was relegated back to fourth behind his rival in the final classification.
The late switch around meant Verstappen, who won Saturday's Sprint with Norris third, increased his title lead over the McLaren driver to 57 points with only five race weekends left in 2024.
Norris' sanction almost dropped him behind McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri too, the Australian having also run a long first stint and finishing up just 1.5s behind the lead car in fifth once the Briton's time penalty was applied.
Sixth went to Mercedes' George Russell, who impressively fought back from a pit-lane start to his original grid position in his repaired car which had sustained extensive damage in his end-of-qualifying crash on Saturday.
Russell also had to contend with a five-second time penalty served at his sole pit stop following an incident with Valtteri Bottas, which Mercedes boss Toto Wolff branded a "total joke".
In a late overtake that is unlikely to do Sergio Perez's long-term Red Bull prospects any further favours, Russell passed the Mexican late on too to cap a fine recovery drive.
But it proved an absolutely miserable Sunday for Russell's Mercedes team-mate and Austin's most successful driver, Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time champion's race ended inside the first three laps as he spun out and beached his Mercedes at Turn 19, where Russell crashed in qualifying.
After a storming start saw him gain five places from his 17th-place grid spot, Hamilton turned into the left-hander as normal but the rear of his car did not go with him and he slithered off the track and into the gravel, where his rear wheels got stuck.
Verstappen and Norris were involved in two disputed wheel-to-wheel moments during the course of the 56 laps - and twice the Briton and his McLaren team thought they had been on the receiving end of wrong decisions.
The first came at the very start when Verstappen went down the inside of the pole-sitting Norris on the uphill run to Turn One, a move which sent the McLaren running wide and caused both cars to drop behind the fast-starting Leclerc.
Norris fell behind Sainz too and so left the first turn three places behind where he start.
Despite arguing over team radio that he had been illegally forced off the track by Verstappen, stewards ruled no there was nothing untoward and no investigation was required.
Fifty-one laps later and McLaren felt aggrieved again when Norris, this time the one attempting the overtake, finally thought he had got ahead of Verstappen after a 10-lap pursuit of the Red Bull only to be placed under investigation.
Getting a great slipstream-friendly run on the Dutchman with the aid of DRS on the long straight to the Turn 12 braking zone, Norris positioned his McLaren on the right as his rival defended the inside line.
Norris briefly nosed ahead on the outside, but as Verstappen came back on the sharper inside line, the two cars came close in the corner apex and both ran wide into the run-off area. Norris then returned to the track first and took the position.
Verstappen immediately argued on team radio "He overtook me outside of the track", a verdict that the stewards ultimately agreed with too after they investigated the decision and ruled that Norris was "not level with [Verstappen] at the apex" and had therefore "lost the right" to the corner".
In championship turns, the decision resulted in a potentially significant six-point swing in the championship.
Instead of closing down Verstappen's lead to 51 points - one point fewer than the gap stood at the start of the weekend - Norris heads to Mexico City next week now 57 points adrift with time fast running out for him to stage what was already going to have to prove a miraculous comeback.
Formula 1's Americas triple header continues next weekend with the Mexico City Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
