The fastest lap went to Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 1min 37.611secs. What a talent he looks. Will he get a drive for 2025?
10.14pm BST
Max Verstappen speaks: “It was a tough battle, to be on the podium is a good result. I have my opinion but I don’t need to say it here, I’ll let the stewards do their thing.”
10.13pm BST
Charles Leclerc speaks: “Very happy, it hasn’t been an easy weekend until now I have been struggling with the feeling in the car but I had the confidence in the race and the feeling was better.”
10.00pm BST
Confirmed result for US Grand Prix
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Lando Norris (McLaren)
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6. George Russell (Mercedes)
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
9. Liam Lawson (RB)
10. Franco Colapinto (Williams)
11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
14. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16. Alex Albon (Williams)
17. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
18. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
19. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
DNF. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Updated at 10.03pm BST
9.58pm BST
The Monegasque and Italian anthems ring out as Leclerc takes the plaudits.
9.53pm BST
Rest of the top ten.
6. Russell
7. Perez
8. Hulkenberg
9. Lawson
10. Colapinto
9.50pm BST
Interesting take.
9.48pm BST
US GP top five
1. Charles Leclerc
2. Carlos Sainz
3 Max Verstappen
4. Lando Norris
5. Oscar Piastri
9.45pm BST
“A hard race,” says Verstappen , Christian Horner offering him credit for getting a podium finish. He’s still complaining about Norris, who is aghast at the five-seconds and then suggests he should have dropped behind and then gone again.
9.41pm BST
Charles Leclerc wins the US GP
56/56 Russell overtakes Perez and takes sixth; great driving from him. Leclerc is meanwhile flying towards the finish. Norris gets a five-second penalty confirmed. Can he make it up? No, is the answer. Ferrari take a one-two. “That’s my boy, another win,” is the message sent to Leclerc.
Updated at 9.59pm BST
9.38pm BST
55/56 Leclerc’s progress to winning has been serene. Ocon puts in a fastest lap to steal a vital point from one of the contenders. Red Bull say Norris has gone over his track limits. That will mean he drops down.
9.36pm BST
54/56 Norris was off the track but Verstappen gave him nowhere to go. The stewards are looking. Five-seconds or ten? Or none? Verstappen is raging. Again.
9.34pm BST
53/56 One for the stewards, and one for the VAR. Both drivers plead innocence to their teams. And while that continues, they almost come to blows again.
9.33pm BST
52/56 It briefly seems as if Norris can get past, the crowd roars, but Verstappen always seems to find a way to power away from the bends. Verstappen forces Norris off, but Norris comes back and goes ahead.
9.32pm BST
51/56 Verstappen is schooling Norris in defensive tactics. Norris is going right at it, to his credit.
9.30pm BST
50/56 Norris needs to take more risks but his car doesn’t quite have the purchase. As Verstappen seems to falter, so does he.
Updated at 9.37pm BST
9.29pm BST
49/56 Leclerc clears backmarkers to stay away from Sainz. Norris keeps seeing a gap and then finds it closed off. Bottas is a backmarker in the way, but steps aside.
9.27pm BST
48/56 Franco Colapinto has set the fastest lap in the Williams. Good to have someone like him around. Norris and Verstappen continue in their duel. Verstappen maintains the racing line.
9.25pm BST
47/56 Norris keeps going, knocking on the door. What a race, what driving from Verstappen. Norris pecking away, but not getting it done on this lap.
9.24pm BST
46/56 Norris getting closer. Can DRS be engaged? Verstappen throwing everything at it. The gap is down to mere metres.
9.22pm BST
45/56 This is racing now. Norris tries to edge closer. Verstappen is forced to be defensive. Russell goes up to seventh, and now gives chase to Perez.
9.21pm BST
44/56 Here comes the battle between Norris and Verstappen. He tries to claw back some of the 54-point lead the champion has.
9.18pm BST
43/56 The McLaren garage look on intently as their man Norris chases down Verstappen. Russell sets a fastest lap, and looks on course to score points from the pit lane.
9.17pm BST
42/56 Tsunoda spun, but not off, he’s down in 14th. Way up ahead, Norris is chasing down Verstappen, just 1.4 seconds between them.
9.15pm BST
41/56 Russell pits and takes on that five-second penalty, and he comes out eighth. Franco Colapinto and Magnussen go off on a battle, but the Argentine holds him off. This is a fine battle.
9.13pm BST
40/56 Charles Leclerc sets a new fastest lap just when it seemed Sainz might fancy giving chase. Franco Colapinto is the last to pit, on lap 40. He comes out ahead of Magnussen in 12th.
9.12pm BST
39/56 After that shoddy start, Norris has chance to make amends by passing Verstappen. Magnussen, back to 13th, was demanded to pit. Liam Lawson is in 10th. He’s full of racing.
9.11pm BST
38/56 Norris has the fastest lap, and is under three seconds short of Verstappen. He can see his target.
9.09pm BST
37/56 Liam Lawson pits, and is geared up to battle for a top ten place. He’s ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, his teammate. He’s in 12th.
9.07pm BST
36/56 Verstappen: “These tyres are no good. I can’t brake, I can’t do anything.” He’s raging. The calm of pre-race is forgotten.
Updated at 9.35pm BST
9.06pm BST
35/56 Franco Colapinto is keeping Perez at bay. It’s not gone well for Perez, this season. Norris’s speed is coming to the fore. He’s flying along, so much quicker than Verstappen. With much of the race to go. 20 laps, in fact.
9.04pm BST
34/56 There’s 11 seconds between the top three now. Leclerc and Sainz in command here. Their pace is too much for the Red Bull today. Verstappen will have to wait longer for that first win since June.
9.02pm BST
33/56 Oscar Piastri’s pit is slow. But the plan is to be quick at the end of the race when the fuel load is far lower.
9.00pm BST
32/56 “Time to pit,” says Zach from McLaren. Norris goes in, and Leclerc takes the lead. Piastri will stay out until the next pit, presumably. Norris is in fifth, Russell sixth (but with a five second penalty) and the flying Kiwi, Lawson is in seventh.
8.58pm BST
31/56 Until those McLarens pit, the race will not take fullest shape. Piastri is being chased by Leclerc, who isn’t prepared to wait for his opponent to pit. He passes with ease, and takes second. Norris’s pit is imminent.
8.56pm BST
30/56 Norris is told his team don’t want to pull the trigger too early. “A Germany situation,” apparently. Some odd code words being used.
8.55pm BST
29/56 “More phase 1 brake release,” Ferrari tells a dumbfounded Sainz.
8.53pm BST
28/56 Norris and Piastri are making hay on their tyres, lapping as quick as Verstappen. But when to pit?
8.51pm BST
27/56 Leclerc goes into the pits and on the hard tyres, and will come out behind the McLarens and ahead of Sainz. They are yet to pit. Is this a one-stop strategy? It looks like it from Ferrari.
8.50pm BST
26/56 Lando Norris was catching up Verstappen, who pits, and then Sainz goes ahead of him into fourth. The undercut leaves Leclerc leading with McLaren, yet to pit, ahead of Sainz. Norris is motoring nicely.
8.48pm BST
25/56 “My tyres are really bad now,” says Verstappen. Ferrari are in a position to pull a fast on him.
8.48pm BST
24/56 Sainz, on those hard tyres, sets off on the fastest lap so far.
8.45pm BST
23/56 Franco Colapinto, the youngster, overtakes Fernando Alonso, the veteran. McLaren are trying to work out their pace on the tyres in chasing down Verstappen. Leclerc says “I don’t want to be under pressure” in regards to Ferrari’s strategy.
8.43pm BST
22/56 Sainz goes in, putting hard tyres on his Ferrari. He comes out in fifth, ahead of Perez. The McLarens are ahead in his road to chasing down Verstappen.
8.42pm BST
21/56 Most of the action is down the field, so serene has been Leclerc’s progress since that start.
8.40pm BST
20/56 Is a pit undercut in the offing? Sainz might be attempting it with Verstappen who is sluggish on his current tyres, and with that mystery problem.
8.38pm BST
19/56 The battle is on for eighth, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg before Tsunado pits. Leclerc is getting even more clear – eight seconds.
8.37pm BST
18/56 Leclerc is seven seconds clear of Verstappen; the Ferraris have Max in a sandwich.
8.35pm BST
17/56 Liam Lawson is chasing down Hulkenberg for 10th place, and the hapless Perez for ninth. Toto Wolff’s verdict on that Russell penalty is “total joke”.
8.33pm BST
16/56 George Russell gets a penalty for passing Bottas – five seconds. No luck for the Mercs this weekend. “What?!” is the reply from George.
8.32pm BST
15/56 Hugh Molloy gets in touch: “ For heaven’s sake, Lando, just let him hit you. Verstappen has more to lose, he’s going to try and shove you off guaranteed, simply stand your ground! Totally bottled it.”
Yes, far too hesitant.
8.30pm BST
14/56 George Russell, in a hard tyre, is making up places, into 13th. Verstappen is told there is a problem with his car; it will be sorted when he goes in to pit.
Updated at 8.30pm BST
8.28pm BST
13/56 This heat must be hard on the tyres. Lots of talk over what the strategy might be. Lando Norris says that his tyres are fine but his car’s pace is not good enough.
8.27pm BST
12/56 Leclerc continues to hold that fastest lap. Liam Lawson passes Alonso and into 11th, the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. He’s touted for Red Bull next season.
Updated at 8.27pm BST
8.25pm BST
11/56 George Russell is up to 15th, having started in that pit lane. Sainz tells his team things are better. He longer smells fuel. Phew. His Ferrari is way ahead of Norris, 2.5 seconds.
8.23pm BST
10/56 Leclerc leads, Verstappen second, Sainz losing pace, with the McLarens behind. Zhou Guanyu is the latest to spin. “I don’t know what happened there,” he tells his team.
8.22pm BST
9/56 “No power on the exit of the corners,” says Sainz. He smells fuel in the car. He’s dropping off, and Norris can close. That’s bad news for Ferrari.
8.20pm BST
8/56 Is this a one-stop race? Seems a few are protecting their tyres.
8.20pm BST
7/56 Norris is struggling to keep up with the leading three. Piastri, his teammate is also sluggish. Problems for McLaren?
8.17pm BST
6/56 The Merc now removed from the track, the safety car pulls aside. Leclerc and Verstappen go at it, right from the gun. No DRS on this lap. Liam Lawson, who started 19th, is in 12th. Nice driving, young man. Leclerc edging ahead of the Red Bull. He sets a fastest lap.
8.14pm BST
5/56 First safety car since Canada, and the field is closed up. Albon has pitted after his prang. Lando and his McLaren team want a stewards’ on the start. Good luck. That won’t be happening. “Same as Budapest,” says Norris. Verstappen did seem to go off the track and hold his position
8.11pm BST
4/56 An eventful start, and Norris will be rueing his lack of aggression at the start. In the pack. Ocon and Albon clashed. That hill start produced carnage. The Hamilton crash looks like he lost it. “Sorry, guys,” he says. No rear grip, it seems.
8.09pm BST
Lewis Hamilton is off and out. Safety car called in
3/56 That bright start comes to end. He’s deep in the gravel track, and here’s the safety car. The crowd applaud Hamilton, who is in no mood for applause.
Updated at 8.33pm BST
8.08pm BST
2/56 Huge whoops from the crowd. Leclerc has the afterburners on, he’s a full second ahead of Verstappen. Sainz is after Verstappen too. Ferrari in control here
8.06pm BST
And away we go! Lights out...Leclerc steals into the lead
1/56 Verstappen points right but Norris gets ahead, and then when it looks like Verstappen might pass Norris, Leclerc speeds through and leads from fourth. What a mess from Norris, what a piece of opportunism from Leclerc. Hamilton goes from 17th to 12th. Sainz, in third, chases Verstappen, who cuts across him. One for the stewards?
Updated at 8.33pm BST
8.03pm BST
OK, here we go. The formation lap begins. “Damn, this far back,” says Lewis Hamilton, back in 17th. Mercedes have had a shocker in qualifying with George Russell in the pit lane. Lando Norris on pole leads out the field. The two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc are second on the grid.
7.49pm BST
Max Verstappen: “Yesterday was an indication it’s been a bit better already. The sprint should replicate to the main race. Winning would make life a lot easier. That’s always been the aim.”
AC/DC’s Thunderstruck is playing too loud for the telecasters. Great record.
7.46pm BST
Martin Brundle is on his pit walk. A quick chat with Fernando Alonso. “We start seventh but are not the seventh fastest,” says the veteran. Pierre Gasly: “The team did a very good job. The car seems to have come alive.” Kevin Magnussen, in the top 10 in the Haas: “Seems the car is liking this track. It’s great to be this competitive. Every race in F1 is a gift.”
The hill at the race start has seen the wind dropping . Martin talks to Gabby Douglas, the Olympic gold medallist. She’s a Lewis Hamilton fan and hopes to meet him later. Mondo Duplantis is also there. “I like adrenaline…just having a good time.”
Gordon Ramsay is there, seeming a little amped. No swearwords, though. And here comes the national anthem. The stadium announcer sounds robotic, like a talking elevator. The Stars and the Stripes rings out choral style. None of your vocal histrionics here though some natty descant work. It reminds of a 1960s Disney film.
In the crowd, there are visible cowboy hats.
7.28pm BST
The weather report from Austin, Texas , and the Circuit of the Americas is that it’s hot and sunny, 27 degrees C. Bright blues skies. What effect might that have on tyres?
7.13pm BST
Bad news for Mercedes: George Russell starts from the pit lane.
Before any running began on Friday the FIA confirmed it was looking into complaints that Red Bull may have been gaining an advantage by using a device that allowed them to adjust the bib, also known as the tea tray – the front of the floor of the car – after qualifying to achieve a better race setup, when regulations forbid changes to the car under conditions.
Giles Richards all over the detail in previewing the final six races of the F1 season.
As things stand Norris and McLaren have the quickest car on the grid in the MCL38. More importantly, and key to Norris’s hopes, is what a stable platform it provides across a variety of circuits and how swiftly the team are able to dial it into local conditions such that it is up to pace early in the weekend.
To Austin, Texas, and we have a ten-gallon hat of a race for you. Lando Norris in pole, Max Verstappen alongside him, with signs of a Red Bull revival. Verstappen winning the sprint race edged him to 339 points, with Norris on 285 in the drivers’ standings. That could be vital with the McLaren still expected to be the quicker car.
Lights out at 8pm UK time, 2pm Austin, X time. Join me.
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