2024 F1 Round 19 United States Grand Prix Sprint: Verstappen wins from pole for first victory in nearly four months, Norris loses second after final-lap lock-up

The 2024 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix Sprint, Round 19 of the season, was contested over 19 laps at the Circuit of The Americas in the early hours of 20 October, Beijing time. Pole-sitter Max Verstappen led throughout and took the chequered flag in 31:06.146 for his first victory in nearly four months. Carlos Sainz finished second, 3.882s behind. Lando Norris lost second place after a mistake on the final lap and finished third, while RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was 11th.

It was Verstappen’s first win since the Austrian Sprint in June and maintained his perfect record in this season’s Sprints. “It feels like the old days! I’m really happy,” the Dutchman said with a smile afterwards. “Looking back at the whole race, Ferrari was also very quick. Finally we could really race again. Usually I have to keep an eye on the cars behind, but today I could focus on my own rhythm and show good pace.”

Norris, starting fourth, jumped to second at Turn 1 on the opening lap and appeared to have a podium place comfortably secured. But a sudden lock-up at Turn 1 on the final lap allowed Sainz to take advantage and pass for second, finishing 3.882s behind the winner. Second place had slipped away from Norris, and his deficit to Verstappen in the championship grew to 54 points. Fourth-placed Charles Leclerc also attacked Norris down the inside at Turn 15. Norris’s unexpectedly early braking nearly resulted in a collision, prompting Leclerc to complain over the radio that his rival had moved under braking.

George Russell, who had started alongside Verstappen on the front row, struggled with an overheating left-front tyre midway through the race and slipped to fifth. Team mate Lewis Hamilton was sixth, three seconds behind him. Haas enjoyed a strong home outing, with Kevin Magnussen seventh and Nico Hülkenberg eighth. Points for both cars moved Haas ahead of RB into sixth in the constructors’ standings.

Tsunoda started ninth and passed the slow-starting Hülkenberg on the opening lap to take eighth. He overtook Magnussen on lap five but was immediately repassed, lost the position back to Hülkenberg on lap seven and then fell to tenth behind Sergio Pérez on lap 12. Late in the race he fought hard with Oscar Piastri, but lost the place with four laps remaining and finished 11th, two positions down overall. Piastri held tenth despite a five-second penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly off the track, while Pérez was ninth. Lawson’s first race back for RB ended in 16th. Valtteri Bottas stopped at the end of the Sprint with his rear brakes on fire, but was classified 20th with 19 laps.

Pirelli brought compounds C2 to C4 to the event, and every driver completed the Sprint on medium tyres.