Leclerc wins third Formula 1 race of year, takes U.S. Grand Prix in Austin

While McLaren has grabbed the headlines in this unpredictable Formula One season, Ferrari stole the show in Sunday’s Pirelli United States Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc scored a commanding victory at Circuit of the Americas, his third of the season, and teammate Carlos Sainz finished second. Max Verstappen, F1’s season points leader and the three-time reigning world champion, held off McLaren’s Lando Norris for the final podium spot — but not without drama.

‘Very happy from the start to the finish,’ said Leclerc, the 27-year-old from Monte Carlo. ‘We were struggling a bit with the car Saturday, but it felt better today. The pace of the car was really, really good; everything fell into place for us.’

Sunday attendance was to be announced by Formula One, but the crowd was thought to be in the 140,000 to 150,000 range on a warm, sun-kissed day in Austin.

Bouncing back a day after setbacks

Usually the first to the top of the iconic 133-foot Turn 1 hill on lap one wins the race. Leclerc upheld that tradition, charging from a fourth-place start to No. 1 by the time drivers reached the apex of Big Red.

‘We got a good launch, unlike the Sprint race,’ Leclerc said. ‘Yesterday we were in the wrong place at the wrong time going up the hill. Today we learned from it.’

Lots of drama over third place

While Leclerc rolled to an 8.5-second advantage over teammate Sainz, there was an epic shootout for third place. On lap 53 of 56 on the 3.4-mile road course, Norris, second in the standings behind Verstappen, overtook the Dutch superstar after an edge-of-your-seat battle for the last 15 laps.

But Norris was nailed for charging too wide off the track, exceeding the limits in his overtake, and penalized five seconds. That was more than enough to give Verstappen third.   

‘Quite a difficult race; we never really had the pace to attack,’ Verstappen said. ‘We were struggling on steering, breaking and that made defending quite difficult. In the end to be on the podium is a great result.’

Verstappen slightly increased his season points lead with 354 to Norris’ 297 with five races left, starting next week in Mexico City. Leclerc closed to a strong third place with 275. McLaren still leads the manufacturers standing with 544 points to Red Bull Honda’s 504. Ferrari gained ground with 496 points.

It was not a weekend to remember for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion and five-time COTA winner spun off the course and into the gravel on lap 3. He had to be towed off the track. Mechanical problems on Saturday forced overnight changes for Mercedes, and Hamilton had to start from pit lane.

How did COTA’s repaved track rate?

The condition of COTA’s notoriously bumpy track has been a main theme, especially in recent years. Verstappen said after last year’s race, ‘it is more suited for rally cars. Just too bumpy for F1.’

COTA addressed the complaints with a major repave this year, costing well north of $10 million. The worst of the bumps were fixed, though ripples remain, notably in Turn 4.

‘It’s a tricky track,’ McLaren CEO Zak Brown said. ‘Still bumpy in places, the drivers just have to get used to it.’

Norris said, ‘it’s improved, bumpy in places, but really fast.’