Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured a 1-2 finish at the Austin Grand Prix Sunday, giving a big boost for Ferrari.
Leclerc was able to take advantage of the battling between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the opening lap. He sneaked past them when both drivers went wide off the track, and then cruised to victory.
This is ridiculous. OK, Norris overtaking off track and gaining an advantage (+5 seconds).
But no penalty for Verstappen for going off track too?Why?
Also we had multiple penalties for driver inside "pushing opponent out of the track", so whats the difference? #USGP pic.twitter.com/4Q5tzaVr90
— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) October 20, 2024
Sainz was able to undercut Verstappen to secure a P2 finish.
Lovely pit stop for Carlos Sainz, keeping him ahead of Sergio Perez on track as he successfully undercuts Max Verstappen #F1 #UnitedStatesGP pic.twitter.com/Qoa96Gn2E7
— SSN Podcast (@SSNPodcast) October 20, 2024
As a result, Ferrari now only trails Red Bull by 8 points in the constructor’s standings.
Despite Ferrari closing the gap, Red Bull seems to have regained some of its dominant form. Verstappen was able to win the sprint race on Saturday and was also able to secure third place, ahead of Norris, who finished fourth.
With the win and P3 finish, Verstappen was able to extend his lead over Norris to 57 in the drivers championship. This comes after he had lost points on his lead for several weeks.
Only five races remain now, and while the drivers championship is still Verstappen’s to lose, the battle for the top three in the constructor’s championships is wide open.
Next up is the Mexican Grand Prix, Sergio Perez’s home race.
