Race recap: Ferrari comes out fighting, frustration for Hamilton and heated battle between Verstappen and Norris in Austin

Despite waiting a while for Formula 1 to return, the US Grand Prix didn't disappoint as the two title protagonists went wheel-to-wheel around Austin's Circuit of The Americas. For all the on-track jeopardy, the stewards’ final decision was to issue a five-second penalty to Norris, which saw his rival Verstappen steal the final podium place. With all the attention on Verstappen and Norris' duel, Charles Leclerc's sensational race win was at risk of being overshadowed, but a one-two finish from him and his teammate Carloz Sainz ensured Ferrari held the headlines, while Hamilton was left holding his head in his hands. Here are all the highlights and what we learned at the US Grand Prix. 
 

Ferrari comes out fighting in Austin as it "targets the title"

While Ferrari has shown glimmers of brilliance this season - just look back to Leclerc's emotional victory in Monaco - few would have foreseen a one-two finish from the Maranello marque in Austin.

Leclerc had lined up in P4 for the race while his teammate, Carlos Sainz was one step ahead in third. Benefitting from Norris' scrap with Verstappen, which saw the Brit go wide, Leclerc shot to the front and found himself in the lead on the opening lap. From there, it was a smooth drive from start to finish, where he took his third win this season and the eighth win of his F1 career.

"It hasn't been an easy weekend, until now I have been struggling a bit with the feeling with the car, but I had the confidence that in the race the feeling was better and it was the case," said the Monégasque driver after the race.

"[I'm] really happy with today. A one-two for the team, we couldn't have dreamed for better," he added.

As for his teammate, the Spaniard emerged from the first corner just behind Verstappen in P3 but lost time when problems developed with his car, reporting he smelt fuel in the cockpit at one point. After that, any hope of challenging his teammate for the win had diminished but still, Sainz was looking strong in second for the final laps of the race.

With the one-two marking Ferrari's first in the United States for 18 years, Leclerc was feeling particularly confident about the team's hopes this season. "Now we are still targeting the title – it's a long way to go but it's a good start to this triple header," he admitted. After the US, Ferrari is better placed in the constructors' battle, with a total of 496 points, positioning them behind second-placed Red Bull by only eight points, while McLaren leads with 544. As for Leclerc in the drivers' standings, he remains in third place, albeit just 22 points adrift of Norris in second.
 

Controversial penalty for Norris puts Verstappen further ahead in title fight

Despite starting the race on Pole, Austin will be an outing Lando Norris would rather forget. After dropping back during the race and following a fierce battle between the Brit and Verstappen in the final few laps, Norris eventually passed the Dutchman on the outside of Turn 12, as both drivers veered off track.

After taking third from Verstappen, the McLaren team was so convinced that the Dutchman would be the one receiving the penalty for putting Norris off, that they instructed their driver to hold onto the place.

In the end, it was Norris who was in the firing line from the stewards, which came amid complaints about consistency, given the similar incidents that took place moments earlier. Norris raised the issue that Verstappen had made a place up at the start by going off the road at Turn 1, but it did little to make up for Norris' lost podium.

"I didn't give the position back because we thought we were in the right – clearly we weren't," said Norris.

"I still think we were, considering Max went off the track – normally if you defend your position and you go off the track, you have to give the position up. In that case I was ahead, I kept my position because he needed to give it back, and that's the way it is.

After the US Grand Prix, Verstappen extends his lead on Norris to 57 points, with four races to go. While every point counts between now and the finale in Abu Dhabi on December 8, Norris can rest assured he's secured his place in the history books as the highest point-scoring driver in McLaren's history, with 930 points gained throughout his career.
 

'Frustrating' race for Hamilton as his US outing ends early

Lewis Hamilton will no doubt be counting down the days left at Mercedes, especially after witnessing the stark contrast in Austin between his Silver Arrow and the Ferrari he'll be jumping into in 2025.

Starting P17 after a disappointing qualifying session, Hamilton made up five places on the opening laps behind the wheel of his newly-upgraded W15. But by lap three, the Brit found himself spinning off the track into Turn 19.

"I had a great start," he explained after returning to the garage. "[I] got up to 12th and at that point, it was only the second lap, so I'm not flat out, not pushing particularly – just trying to manage the tyres.

"The car started bouncing on the way in and then it just lost all load of the rear and just went around on me," he explained.

"I've never spun in the race before, not that I remember at least," said the seven-time World Champion, clearly confused about how the incident came about.

"Definitely frustrating but I do know that it wasn't that I wasn't focused or anything - it's just unfortunate."

As for Hamilton's teammate, George Russell, the Brit managed to finish P6, despite starting at the back of the grid. With Russell's result and the Sprint race, Mercedes left Texas with 15 points combined - the team's lowest weekend total since Zandvoort, which put them 152 points adrift of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

Liam Lawson back on track and in the points

After defying the odds and fighting his way from the back of the pack, the New Zealand driver left the US with two points in hand, despite being his first race back since October 2023.

Stepping into Ricciardo's car, after replacing the Australian at RB for the remainder of the season, Lawson found himself starting at the back of the pack following a grid penalty for exceeding the allocated amount of several power unit elements.

Undeterred, the New Zealand driver remarkably managed to make up ground, overtaking drivers including both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso's Aston Martins, as well as Pierre Gasly, to finish the race in P9.

"I definitely didn't [expect points], not after where we were starting and also just after yesterday's Sprint race," he admitted.

"I felt really comfortable which was the main target this weekend, to get to the end of it and to feel confident with the car.

"It's always nice when you're the overtaking car as well, which today we were, and I think it was just that hard stint at the start that really put us in a great position."
 

With this weekend's stellar performance, Ferrari have joined the battle for the 2024 Constructors' trophy, and next year certainly looks promising. Don't miss your chance to see Hamilton's first home race in red at the British Grand Prix next July. Tickets are available now.