Grand Prix des Etats-Unis – Race: Charles Leclerc tames Texas!

For the start of the race, the distribution was clear: everyone in the top twelve started on medium tires while the back of the grid opted for hards, except for Alex Albon and the two Saubers.

Unlike usual, the first turn was very calm, except for Alex Albon who spun Esteban Ocon, without being penalized by the stewards. But that didn’t prevent overtaking in front. Indeed, once again, Lando Norris succumbed at the first turn to Max Verstappen’s dive. But busy fighting each other, the two championship leaders widened their turn exit, allowing Charles Leclerc to dive inside and take the lead from fourth place! In contrast, Lando Norris went from first to fourth in just one turn since Carlos Sainz also managed to get the better of his former teammate.

However, as early as the third lap, the safety car made its entrance for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix, in order to clear Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes stuck in the gravel trap at turn 19 after going off track all by himself. By the sixth lap, the race resumed. No notable changes were observed during the restart, perfectly managed by Charles Leclerc.

The first warning in the race for Ferrari came as early as the eighth lap of the race when Carlos Sainz complained of a lack of power coming out of the corners and especially of a strong smell of fuel inside his car! But the Spaniard still continued and stayed within reach of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

The pit stop dance began on the 22nd lap when Carlos Sainz switched to hard tires. The driver #55 then emerged just ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. He was therefore free to attack and set fast laps. It was enough to gain the advantage over Max Verstappen when the Dutchman made his stop three laps later. Logically, Charles Leclerc followed suit one lap later while his lead was then over eleven seconds. Once back on the track, the Monegasque had a six-second advantage over his teammate.

The McLarens waited much longer to pit stop, as was the case for Lando Norris at the end of the 31st lap and Oscar Piastri at the 32nd. The strategists who were considering a traditional race with two pit stops were therefore proved wrong. As at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, the new tarmac adopted on part of the circuit appears to have significantly reduced tire degradation.

Lando Norris then took advantage of the freshness of his tires to set the fastest lap in the race and put pressure on Max Verstappen. Gradually, the British driver caught up to his rival. He remained stuck behind him for many laps but eventually found an opening on the 52nd lap, even though it involved going off track at turn 12. This led to an investigation by the stewards. The British driver was penalized with a five-second penalty, which meant he finished behind his rival.

For his first race of the season, Liam Lawson made a strong impression as he moved steadily from 19th to 11th place in the space of eleven laps, notably overtaking Fernando Alonso. In the end, the New Zealander perfectly fulfilled his role as he scored two points for ninth place, while Daniel Ricciardo hadn’t scored any points since Spa-Francorchamps.

Franco Colapinto continued to confirm all the good things the grid thinks of him. Thanks to his offbeat strategy, he finished the race in style and secured the tenth place point even though he started 15th on the grid. This is the second time he has scored points in four races.

As for Pierre Gasly, who achieved a very good qualifying session, he slipped down the rankings and was unable to stay in the points. However, the Frenchman can leave confident that the improvements made to his car bring a real boost in performance, even if it doesn’t seem to be enough yet to break into the top 10.

From our special correspondent in Austin