F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Race results and standings as Norris reacts angrily after Leclerc win
F1 live reaction from the Circuit of the Americas as Norris is penalised for an overtake on Max Verstappen and Leclerc leads Ferrari to a glorious victory in Austin
Lando Norris’ F1 championship hopes were dealt a hammer blow after he was handed a controversial five-second penalty to finish behind rival Max Verstappen following a compelling US Grand Prix.
As Charles Leclerc raced to an impressive win at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, pole man Norris was only fourth – one place behind Verstappen – to leave him 57 points adrift in the title race with only 146 points to play for across the concluding five rounds. Carlos Sainz took second to complete a Ferrari one-two.
Norris spent the final dozen laps crawling all over Verstappen’s gearbox in a thrilling conclusion, and he eventually made the move stick on the 52nd lap.
However, the stewards quickly launched an investigation into the pass, and Norris was adjudged to have run off the track. Norris was penalised, and although he crossed the line in third, four seconds ahead of Verstappen, his sanction dropped him back, in what could prove a pivotal decision in his championship quest.
Follow live updates from the United States Grand Prix with The Independent
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Red Bull ‘bib’ saga
Lewis Hamilton has reacted to Red Bull’s controversial device that alters the height of its front bib ahead of the United States Grand Prix this weekend.
“I’ve only just heard about it before I got here,” he told Sky Sports. “But I think the name of our sport is all about innovation. Red Bull have been the leaders and they’ve innovated.
“Ultimately all the teams look at the rules and try to find how to massage those rules and get the most out of it, even if it’s just over the edge a little bit. You just need to continue to evolve and be better policed.”
QUALIFYING REPORT: Lando Norris takes stunning US Grand Prix pole ahead of F1 title rival Max Verstappen
Lando Norris saw off rival Max Verstappen to take pole position for the US Grand Prix and boost his championship dream.
Verstappen claimed his first win in nearly four months when he led every lap of the sprint race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas earlier on Saturday to extend his title advantage from 52 to 54 points.
Norris finished third – after he was passed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on the final lap – but he bounced back in qualifying to take spot, beating Verstappen by just 0.031 seconds.
Full report below:
Lando Norris takes stunning US Grand Prix pole ahead of F1 title rival Max Verstappen
Norris bounced back from his sprint race disappointment to beat Verstappen by 0.031 seconds in Austin
F1 US Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton, after qualifying P19...
“In the sprint, we had some sort of failure on the front suspension. It made the balance really difficult.
“The car was a nightmare in qualifying. We should start in the pit-lane, otherwise we won’t be going anywhere.
“It was a very inconsistent balance and no grip.”
F1 US Grand Prix: Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur...
“We’ll have to do a good job, Max and Lando are quick from the beginning. Tomorrow will be another story.
“It’s always good to have two cars [up there].”
F1 US Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc, who starts P4...
“The first sector is where we’ve been struggling and we don’t have the solution. However, the race-pace felt particularly strong.
“We have a strong car. I hope that we’ll see the same type of race-pace tomorrow.”
F1 US Grand Prix: George Russell after his crash
“It was a really good lap up until turn 12, lost a bit at turn 12, lost loads of lap time. I went into the penultimate corner, turned in and it went in on me.
“Maybe I was over-pushing, pretty disappointed with the damage to the car. Today we were nowhere.
“It seems such a theme at the moment, when we find a sweet-spot we can get poles and wins, but when we can’t we’re nowhere. It’s really disappointing from my side for the outcome.”
Russell starts P6 tomorrow...
F1 US Grand Prix: McLaren team principal Andrea Stella...
“The first lap was pretty much perfect. I saw Verstappen was on a fast lap, it could have been a problem - the yellow flag might have helped us. Overall, it’s encouraging that we’ve improved the car, some tuning to the setup. Lando and Oscar have been able to put it all together.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to reduce the tyre degradation.”
What is the starting grid for the US Grand Prix?
1. Lando Norris
2. Max Verstappen
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Oscar Piastri
6. George Russell
7. Pierre Gasly
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Sergio Perez
11. Yuki Tsunoda
12. Nico Hulkenberg
13. Esteban Ocon
14. Lance Stroll
15. Alex Albon
16. Franco Colapinto
17. Valtteri Bottas
18. Lewis Hamilton
19. Zhou Guanyu
20. Liam Lawson*
*Lawson starts at the back of the grid after taking an engine penalty
What time is the US Grand Prix?
Time BST
Sunday 20 October
- Race: 8pm (2pm local)
F1 US Grand Prix: Lando Norris after qualifying on pole!
“It was a beautiful lap, I was not going to do much quicker than what I did. When you do a lap and you think ‘it will be tough to beat that.’ We’ve been on the back foot all weekend so I had to do something, today I did - a cool lap and a nice way to start the race tomorrow.
“This is one of the tracks where you’re like ‘damn this is fast.’ It puts a smile on your face. Ending quickest puts a smile on your face too. We changed quite a bit, we made the improvements. I was lucky and I’ll take it.
“I’ll do my homework, we’ve made some changes, time will tell. We’ll work hard, box number one ticked but tomorrow will be a tough race.”
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