In Pictures: United States 2024
The 2024 United States Grand Prix marks the first leg of an all-American triple-header. Significant changes have been made at COTA (Circuit of the Americas), including a resurfacing of the track, completing the work that began two years ago. This includes sections between turns 9 and 12 and between turns 16 and 3, which encompasses the two longest straights where DRS can be used. The track's abrasiveness may have changed since last year, as a new layer of bitumen is generally smoother than older surfaces. This makes gathering as much data as possible during the one-hour free practice session—held early Friday afternoon under the Sprint format—crucial for teams.
Other changes include the introduction of fake gravel in the run-off areas at certain corners, as seen at other tracks like Zandvoort. This measure aims to reduce controversies over exceeding track limits while avoiding the issues caused by real gravel being thrown onto the track. The new surface should also help alleviate the small bumps that have developed on the racing line over the years, which made life difficult for drivers and affected car handling.
Austin is the second of three U.S. races this season, following Miami and preceding Las Vegas. It seems Formula 1 has finally found its way into the psyche of American fans, even though there were three U.S. races back in 1983—in Long Beach, Detroit, and Las Vegas.
FRIDAY
The only free practice session of the weekend saw almost all drivers using the hardest compound available for this Grand Prix, the C2. The only exceptions were the two Saubers: Valtteri Bottas, who used the Medium and Soft compounds, and Guanyu Zhou, who focused on the C4. The other 18 drivers did not use the C3 at all, starting the session on the Hard before switching to the Soft. As per the regulations for Sprint Qualifying, the Medium must be used for Q1 and Q2, with the Soft coming into play for Q3.
After an exciting and rather surprising sprint qualifying, it was Max Verstappen who set the fastest lap, reclaiming the top spot in a qualifying session for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix, when the fastest time didn’t earn him pole position due to a previously imposed penalty. The last time the Dutchman actually started from pole was at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he secured the top spot on Friday in Sprint Qualifying and again on Saturday in qualifying for the main race.
SATURDAY
Max Verstappen proved his mastery on the Saturday race, this being his 11th win from the 16 F1 Sprints that have been held so far. Close behind him came Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc.
On to Qualifying. Lando Norris got pole position during a somewhat surprising session. It is the McLaren driver’s seventh career pole, the sixth this season and the fourth from the last five Grands Prix. It is pole number 162 for the British team, its first at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Norris’ best time of 1’32”330 was 2”393 quicker than last year’s pole, confirming the improvement in outright performance at this track already seen on Friday. It is also likely the lap times could have been even quicker, thanks to the cooler temperatures towards the end of Q3, but George Russell’s crash meant that the other nine drivers in the final session were unable to complete their second runs.
The second best time was a 1:32.361 set by Max Verstappen, followed by Carlos Sainz with a time of 1’32”652, ahead of Charles Leclerc (1’32”740).
SUNDAY
The United States Grand Prix ended with a Ferrari one-two, as Charles Leclerc claimed his eighth Formula 1 victory, and his third of the season. The Monegasque driver crossed the finish line ahead of his teammate, Carlos Sainz, securing Scuderia Ferrari's 87th one-two finish. The team also became the most successful in terms of victories in Formula 1 races held in the USA, with 14 wins. This was the first Ferrari 1-2 in the USA since Indianapolis 2006.
Joining them on the podium was Max Verstappen, who extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 57 points ahead of Lando Norris, who finished fourth. The battle in the Constructors' Championship is much closer, with three teams separated by just 48 points: McLaren leads with 544 points, followed by Red Bull with 504 and Ferrari with 496.
Other noteworthy performances included Nico Hülkenberg finishing eighth, earning valuable points for Haas in their home race, while Liam Lawson secured ninth place in his debut race for VCARB, and Franco Colapinto took tenth for Williams. George Russell, starting from the pit lane and receiving a 5-second penalty, overtook Sergio Perez in the final stages to finish a respectable sixth.
Charles Leclerc was voted Driver of the Day by the F1.com community.
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Excerpts of this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A.
