In a thrilling United States Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured a dominant one-two victory, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was relegated to fourth after a five-second penalty.
Leclerc, starting from fourth on the grid, seized the lead on the opening lap, capitalizing on a gap left by pole-sitter Norris. Verstappen, who had initially challenged Norris, was forced wide and fell to third.
Norris, despite a strong start, dropped to fourth as Sainz also overtook him. The opening lap was further marred by Lewis Hamilton’s retirement after an off-track excursion.
As the race progressed, Leclerc extended his lead, while Verstappen struggled with understeer and defended valiantly against Norris. On lap 53, Norris finally passed Verstappen, but the move was deemed illegal by the stewards, resulting in a five-second penalty.
Norris’s penalty dropped him to fourth, behind Leclerc, Sainz, and Verstappen. Oscar Piastri and George Russell completed the top six, while Sergio Perez finished seventh for Red Bull.
Leclerc’s victory was his first in the United States and his eighth career win. It also marked Ferrari’s first one-two finish in America since 2006.
“It wasn’t an easy weekend up to now,” said Leclerc. “I have been struggling with the feeling with the car, but I had confidence in the race. I am really happy with today, a 1-2 for the team, we couldn’t have dreamed for better.”
Verstappen, despite his podium finish, extended his championship lead over Norris to 57 points. “It was a difficult race for me,” said Verstappen. “I never had the pace to attack and defending was quite difficult with understeer. It was a tough battle and tough to keep him (Norris) behind but it’s a great result.”
Norris expressed disappointment with his penalty. “I have my opinion about his move, but I’ll leave it to the stewards,” he said. “I don’t need to say anything here.”
