The US GP weekend at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) offered blockbuster entertainment. Max Verstappen claimed both the race and the sprint victory, cutting the gap to just 40 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. McLaren had a bittersweet weekend.
Lando Norris was able to get the second position after he put up a fight against Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri struggled throughout the weekend. Here are the 5 stories from the US GP weekend.
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- McLaren’s Bittersweet Weekend
McLaren was coming to the US GP weekend with the baggage from the last outing, when Lando Norris collided with teammate Oscar Piastri while attempting an overtake. Although there was no malice from Norris, Piastri was still upset.
The papaya rules debate also reignited, and it was a PR disaster for the team when Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, was missing from the team’s constructors’ title celebrations. The team had a lot of work to do ahead of the US GP weekend.
McLaren’s redemption efforts didn’t start well as on the media day Lando Norris said that there will be “repercussions” to his actions. These comments were not received well, as it was seen as the team discouraging the spirit of racing among drivers and trying to control too much.
During the sprint on Saturday, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lined up behind Max Verstappen for a 19-lap shootout. The team’s sprint run was short-lived as both drivers collided and were ruled out of the race, losing the opportunity to score additional points.
Both McLarens crashing into each other during F1 US GP sprint lap1: F1.Com
The team nursed the cars within a few hours before qualifying. Lando Norris was unable to outqualify rival Max Verstappen, and Piastri had to settle for sixth place on the grid.
On race day, Charles Leclerc overtook Lando Norris, and both Norris and Leclerc battled each other back and forth. Tyre strategy played a crucial role, and Lando Norris got the upper hand and secured P2 ahead of Leclerc.
While Norris had a decent weekend, for Oscar Piastri there were a lot of struggles as he was unable to extract speed from the car. Although he gained a few positions, he then got stuck in traffic with limited overtaking opportunities, and tyre degradation also didn’t help the Australian and he finished on fifth position.
- Strong Weekend for Max Verstappen
Before the summer break, Max Verstappen trailed by 104 points behind Oscar Piastri, but after the US GP this gap has been slashed to just 40 points with five races to go.
Coming to Austin, Verstappen was in good rhythm, winning two out of the last three races. The Dutchman was keen to ride on momentum. Verstappen started well on Friday by grabbing sprint pole and remained calm during the race when chaos unfolded behind him at Turn 1 and clinched the sprint win, grabbing eight crucial points.
Max Verstappen on podium celebrating his victory: F1.Com
28 year-old replicated his sprint qualifying form during race qualifying and clinched his 47th pole position. During the race, he established early dominance and led comfortably while Norris and Leclerc were battling behind. In the end, the polesitter sealed the win with a 7.959-second gap.
With this victory, Verstappen came closer to his fifth title, which now seems in sight. When asked about his chances, he replied, “Yeah, for sure, the chance is there. We just need to try to deliver these weekends to the end of the year, so yeah, we’ll at least try whatever we can.”
- Carlos Sainz Penalized Ahead of Mexico GP
Just like McLaren, Carlos Sainz had a mix of highs and lows throughout this weekend. The Spaniard was off to a good start when both McLarens were eliminated in the sprint, so there was a chance of a podium for the Ferrari driver, which he completely benefited from and clinched the second podium of the season.
Carlos Sainz was penalized during F1 US GP: F1.Com
However, the feature race proved different. On Lap 7 there was contact between Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli, and he spun but continued the race while Sainz retired. After the race, stewards announced the decision, and the Spanish driver was deemed guilty and will serve a five-place grid penalty during the Mexico GP.
- Alpine Team Orders Row
During the later stages of the US GP, both Alpine drivers were near the back of the grid around P17 and P18. Franco Colapinto was asked to hold positions as the team wanted to reserve fuel and avoid any risks in an overtake attempt. Colapinto did not oblige and still overtook teammate Pierre Gasly.
Both Alpines side by side during F1 US GP: F1.Com
When asked why he didn’t follow team orders, his justification was that he was faster than Gasly and was holding Gabriel Bortoleto back. However, team director Steve Nielsen expressed his disappointment and said, “Any instruction made by the pit wall is final.”
- Yuki Tsunoda and Oliver Bearman Clash
During the US GP, Oliver Bearman accused Yuki Tsunoda of reactive defense under braking, which he sees as dangerous and unsporting.
During Lap 15, Bearman was chasing Tsunoda for seventh place at Turn 15. Bearman attempted to overtake up the inside, and the Red Bull driver moved across to defend the position, but the Haas driver said it happened under braking. He took avoiding action, spun, and lost positions.
Oliver Bearman and Yuki Tsunoda clash during F1 US GP: F1.Com
Bearman finished ninth while Tsunoda finished seventh. Stewards took no action. Bearman was furious after the race, calling the Japanese driver’s actions “dangerous” and “against the spirit of racing.”
“He’s been doing these desperate moves… in the Sprint he was divebombing down the inside, a lot of risk,” the 19-year-old added.
Yuki Tsunoda responded to these statements by the British driver: “In my view, I don’t think I’ve done anything extremely wrong.”
No penalties were issued to any driver.
