The United States Grand Prix offered a full-throttle weekend of excitement, with great wheel-to-wheel battles and controversial stewarding. Through all the chaos, it was Ferrari who dominated the weekend to put pressure on their rivals.
Up and down the grid, many teams and drivers had great results or weekends to forget. We delve in to see who flourished and who floundered.
Ferrari resurgence, the Rookie Show and more; the 5 winners of the United States GP
The obvious winner of the weekend is Ferrari. They had a strong race pace all weekend and converted that into a one-two in the main race. They also outscored McLaren and Reb Bull in the sprint race, closing the gap to the top to just 48 points. That target is easily achievable, as Ferrari looks to win their first constructors since 2008.
Max Verstappen’s weekend started strong, winning the sprint race from pole. He was also on course to get pole until George Russell’s crash brought out the yellow flags in Q3. Even though Max dropped from second to third, he still produced a defensive masterclass to keep Norris behind him and pull further clear of his title rival.
Max Verstappen said he had no sympathy for Lando Norris’ frustration over his penalty in yesterday’s United States Grand Prix.
“No, I don’t.” Verstappen said when asked if he sympathised with Norris’ situation.
“I mean, they complain about a lot lately anyway, but it’s very… pic.twitter.com/Xsmm7yTbxI
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 21, 2024
It was also a good trip to Austin for American-based team Haas, as they claimed the midfield victory. They scored valuable points in both the sprint and the race to overtake Racing Bulls to jump into sixth position in the constructors.
Kiwi Liam Lawson excelled in his return to the cockpit. The pressure was on after replacing Daniel Ricciardo. Despite starting last due to grid penalties, he was able to move himself into the points and outshone his more experienced teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Fellow rookie Franco Colapinto also managed to recover from a poor qualifying session. Going long on the hard tyres, once he switched to the mediums, he was lightning quick. He also managed to hold the Red Bull of Sergio Perez up for many laps, on much older tyres, showing strong defensive skills.
Steward controversy, struggles for Norris and Hamilton and more
Lando Norris had a messy weekend. In the sprint, he locked up on the last lap, conceding second to Sainz. Being fortunate to get pole for the race, he was down to fourth by the first corner after clashing with Verstappen. He then lost out to the Dutchman by overtaking him off the track and gaining a penalty, losing him valuable points.
Lando Norris on his battle with Max Verstappen:
“He defends by going off track and overtakes by going off track, but I’m not going to complain, he (Verstappen) defended well and drove well.”#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/XSS3ZbXlPO
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 20, 2024
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton also had a weekend to forget. His poor qualifying for the sprint left him too far down the order to challenge for big points. He then continued his poor form to qualify nineteenth for the race. While making some progress, his Sunday afternoon was cut short, spinning off and beaching his car in the gravel.
Zhou Guanyu is fighting for his career in F1, but this weekend did little to show he deserves to stay. The Chinese racer qualified last for the sprint and the race and had a spin in turn one, relegating him to last in the race. His performance would not have pleased his current employers.
The US Grand Prix was also a shocking display for Aston Martin. They brought multiple updates to the Circuit of the Americas but had no pace to show for it. They are dropping further into the midfield. Despite Alonso starting the race in seventh, he quickly dropped back and out of the points, while Stroll had little speed all weekend.
Toto Wolff on Max Verstappen not getting a penalty while doing the same thing as other penalized drivers:
“[It’s] completely odd and bizarre. I think we know why but you can’t say that on television.”#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/riv08iQIbP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 20, 2024
It was the stewards who caused the most controversy in Texas. They punished Norris for overtaking Max off the track, despite the championship leader doing the same to Sainz at the beginning of the race. They also penalised many drivers for hard racing, which may soon kill off wheel-to-wheel battles in the future.
Do you agree with the winners and losers? Who else had a good race weekend? Or did someone else have a miserable time in Texas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
