USA Grand Prix: Surprising but confident Leclerc victory

To some surprise, Scuderia Ferrari dominated the US Grand Prix, with the pre-race favorites Lando Norris and Max Verstappen battling only for third place. 

Charles Leclerc brilliantly recognized the "loophole" offered by Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the start, and immediately took the lead from fourth place. His compatriot, Lewis Hamilton, also had a fantastic start, charging from the last row all the way up to 12th place within a few corners, but as quick as he was, he was just as quickly met with his fate... The Brit slid into the gravel where George Russell had gone off during yesterday's qualifying session, thus bidding farewell to further battles. The safety car came out, and with its departure, the essential picture remained unchanged: at the front were still Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz. Behind them were the two McLarens, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After that, there was another spin from Guanyu Zhou and some battles towards the back of the field, but even then, it was unfortunately evident that we would not be recording the 2024 US Grand Prix as the race of the decade.

After the pit stops, the leading group changed somewhat, with both Scuderia Ferrari cars now dominating the race, while Verstappen struggled on the hard tires. We saw plenty of different strategies and tactics, but unfortunately fewer moments reminiscent of actual racing. We expected something spectacular from the rapidly closing Norris, as well as from Liam Lawson, who performed brilliantly in his return race. The intensity of the race was well illustrated by the fact that the broadcast showed nothing else for about ten long laps but Norris chasing Verstappen - simply because nothing else was happening. 

In the end, Norris managed to swap places, but illegally, so Charles Leclerc, who won the US Grand Prix, and Carlos Sainz in second place, were followed by Max Verstappen finishing third.