Max Verstappen converted pole into victory in the sprint race at Circuit of the Americas to keep his perfect record of sprint wins in 2024 alive.
The championship leader gained two points back over Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings by taking the chequered flag first ahead of Carlos Sainz Jnr in second, while Norris completed the podium in third.
All 20 drivers chose medium compound tyres for the 19-lap race, with several of those at the front of the field choosing to start on used tyres. When the lights went out, Verstappen successfully turned his pole position into the lead of the race at the first corner, while fourth-placed Norris leapt passed Charles Leclerc and George Russell to take second place.
Verstappen led from Norris and Russell while the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz were fourth and fifth. After a multi-lap battle between the two team mates saw the Ferraris swap positions many times, the pair began to attack Russell instead, eventually picking off the Mercedes at the mid point of the race.
Norris kept Verstappen within reach for most of the race but began to struggle with his well-used mediums as the race progressed, allowing Verstappen to increase his lead. Eventually, in the closing laps, Norris came under pressure from the two Ferraris.
On the final lap, Norris locked up under braking for the first corner, allowing Sainz to sneak through into second place. Leclerc fought hard to try and take third place off the McLaren driver, with the two almost colliding under braking for turn 15 which saw Leclerc have to take avoiding action.
Verstappen won by just under four seconds with Sainz and Norris completing the podium. Leclerc missed out on the podium in fourth, with the two Mercedes of Russell and Lewis Hamilton eight seconds adrift of Leclerc in fifth and sixth. The two Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, took the final points in seventh and eighth ahead of Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri.
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2024 United States Grand Prix
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