Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had a clear objective: they could win the Austin GP. And they did just that. Ferrari secured an extraordinary 1-2 finish in Texas, with Leclerc taking his third win of the season, following victories in Monaco and Monza. For the Maranello team, this marks their fourth win of 2024, considering Sainz’s triumph in Melbourne, and their second 1-2 finish of the year, after Australia. The two Ferraris were unstoppable, thanks to flawless driving from both drivers, who capitalized on every opportunity right from the early laps.
At the first corner, Leclerc seized the lead when Max Verstappen locked up while attempting to overtake Lando Norris, who left room to avoid contact. Verstappen ran wide off the track but received no penalty. Sainz also took advantage, passing Norris, who dropped from pole position to fourth in a matter of seconds.
From that moment, Leclerc held the lead throughout the race, aside from during the pit-stop phase. Sainz moved into second place after an early pit stop, jumping ahead of Verstappen, who had unsuccessfully tried to defend his position earlier in the race. Verstappen struggled with understeer and was unable to challenge the Ferraris, and his third place was threatened by Norris in the final laps. The McLaren driver managed to pass Verstappen but went beyond track limits in doing so, earning a five-second penalty. This allowed Verstappen to keep third place, while Norris was demoted to fourth.
Oscar Piastri finished fifth in the second McLaren with a solid, if unspectacular, performance. George Russell had a remarkable recovery, finishing sixth for Mercedes after starting from the pit lane due to a qualifying crash. Despite a five-second penalty for pushing Valtteri Bottas off track, Russell managed to overtake Sergio Perez on the final lap, with Perez having a largely anonymous race. The other Mercedes, driven by Lewis Hamilton, went off track early due to an error that sent him into the gravel.
Nico Hulkenberg took eighth place with a very competitive Haas-Ferrari, showing his usual consistent and fast driving. Liam Lawson’s return to F1 was impressive as well. Filling in for Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls-Honda, Lawson started last due to penalties related to power unit changes, but fought his way up to ninth, earning valuable points in the constructors' championship battle against Haas. Franco Colapinto also impressed, finishing tenth with Williams, performing well in various on-track battles.
Just outside the top 10 were Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas and Pierre Gasly, who had a determined drive for Alpine-Renault. It was a disappointing race for Aston Martin-Mercedes, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll far from the points. Yuki Tsunoda, who was running in tenth, spun out, while Alexander Albon and Esteban Ocon collided at the first corner, ending both their races early.
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