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Max Verstappen ends four-month winless run with US Grand Prix sprint victory
Max Verstappen ended his winless run to convert his pole position into victory at Saturday’s sprint race in the United States and extend his championship lead over Lando Norris by two points.
Verstappen led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 3.8 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who moved past Norris on the final lap.
Norris hung on to third, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc. George Russell started second but finished only fifth. Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the other Mercedes.
Prior to Saturday’s fixture at a sun-cooked Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen had not won in his last eight appearances. However, the Dutch driver was back to his all-conquering best here by sealing a fine win to increase his title lead from 52 points to 54 ahead of qualifying to determine the grid for Sunday’s main event.
There are 172 points still remaining across the concluding six rounds. Qualifying for Sunday’s US GP begins at 11pm BST.
09:53 PM BST
Welcome back
Qualifying in Austin gets under way in a little over an hour. Max Verstappen will, clearly, be the favourite though Ferrari looked in good form too. Mercedes had a slightly strange sprint race, whilst it sounds like McLaren have limited expectations.
09:48 PM BST
Sprint race report: Verstappen ends winless run
Max Verstappen ended his winless run to convert his pole position into victory at Saturday’s sprint race in the United States and extend his championship lead over Lando Norris by two points.
Verstappen led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 3.8 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who moved past Norris on the final lap.
Norris hung on to third, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc. George Russell started second but finished only fifth. Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the other Mercedes.
Prior to Saturday’s fixture at a sun-cooked Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen had not won in his last eight appearances. However, the Dutch driver was back to his all-conquering best here by sealing a fine win to increase his title lead from 52 points to 54 ahead of qualifying to determine the grid for Sunday’s main event.
There are 172 points still remaining across the concluding six rounds. Qualifying for Sunday’s US GP begins at 11pm BST.
08:10 PM BST
Qualifying starts at 11pm BST
We will be back with live updates and build-up in just under a couple of hours. Have Red Bull finally fixed their problems? Things are looking good for them in Austin so far.
08:05 PM BST
Russell says Mercedes ‘missing something’
“If you look at it as an overview, I was quick in the beginning and then I had no tyres left. I spoke with Lewis after the race and he had no rear tyres left, so we’re clearly missing something. It’s just getting on top of these tyres... it’s a little bit hotter today. The hard tyre felt great, clearly on the medium it was different.”
08:01 PM BST
Is that Norris’s championship hopes over?
Well, not really, because any amount of bad luck can befall Verstappen. And this is only two points lost. In any case he needs to take a big chunk of points from Verstappen at some point so losing a couple to him does not make a great deal of difference, as much as gaining two points would have helped.
The worry will be, given what we have seen so far this weekend, that Verstappen increases his advantage by 10 or more points by the chequered flag tomorrow.
07:51 PM BST
Trouble for Norris on the horizon?
Norris has been noted for "driving erratically" at Turn 15.
Leclerc complained it was moving under braking on the final lap when he nearly ran into the back of him #F1 #USGP— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) October 19, 2024
This was on the final lap and will be investigated by the stewards.
07:46 PM BST
Verstappen after his victory
“It was not too bad. It feels a bit like old times! I am very happy with today, if you look at the whole race Ferrari were very quick. Finally for us, we are racing again... yeah, we have good pace. It’s always a very hectic weekend like this, but luckily the last few times we had a sprint the car was in a good window.”
Sting presents him with the trophy for the winning driver. He increases his lead in the drivers’ standings to 54 points. Neither the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri nor the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez scored a point so Red Bull eat into McLaren’s lead by a couple of points.
07:42 PM BST
Lando Norris speaks
“It was a good race, I am pretty happy with how things ended up. Disappointing end but I am happy with the race result and a good amount of points. I did the most I could. I don’t think we had the pace on Max or the Ferraris, therefore I am happy to finish third.”
07:39 PM BST
A dramatic final lap for Lando Norris there
That final lap ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/WqnbiV61pf
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
07:38 PM BST
US GP sprint race: Classification
VER 8pts
SAI 7pts
NOR 6pts
LEC 5pts
RUS 4pts
HAM 3pts
MAG 2pts
HUL 1pt
Those are the point scorers.
07:37 PM BST
US GP sprint race: Max Verstappen wins
A first Red Bull win of any kind since Barcelona earlier this year. Are they finally getting on top of their problems? We will see, a long way to go in this weekend still.
Sainz second, Norris third and Leclerc fourth...
Norris was very lucky not to be wiped out by Leclerc. Not that it necessarily would have been Leclerc’s fault as such.
07:36 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Norris locks up at turn one and Sainz gets second! Can Norris hold off Leclerc or will he end up losing more points to Verstappen? Norris gets DRS on the back straight and I think Leclerc is too far behind to make a move. Indeed he is, but Norris locks up at the hairpin... the pair nearly touch... or do they?!
Just a few corners to go...
07:34 PM BST
Lap 18 of 19 - Two Ferraris now approaching the rear wing of Norris
As they cross the start/finish line for the final lap Norris has a lot on his plate...
07:33 PM BST
Lap 17 of 19 - Hamilton told to keep it clean
Norris looking vulnerable to Sainz now...
07:32 PM BST
Lap 16 of 19 - Leclerc trying to close down Sainz
He is within DRS range but has seemed to be stuck at 0.7sec behind his team-mate. Gasly gets a black and white flag for another track limits infringement.
Hamilton now within DRS range of Russell ahead for fifth.
07:31 PM BST
Lap 15 of 19 - Verstappen crusing here
2.5sec ahead of Norris and on course to increase his championship lead by a point. Mercedes have dropped massively back here. Russell is eight seconds behind Leclerc now and has Hamilton right behind him.
07:29 PM BST
Lap 14 of 19 - Not a bad sprint race, this
Not sure many will remember it this time next year, though.
07:27 PM BST
Lap 13 of 19 - Verstappen leads Norris by 2.3sec
Looks like Haas are on course for a few points here with Magnussen in seventh and Hulkenberg in eighth in the team’s home race. Perez in ninth is 5.3sec behind Hulkenberg and is not lapping any faster.
07:24 PM BST
Lap 12 of 19 - I think this race is Verstappen’s now
He has not really been trouble from the start. A lap or two where Norris took a few tenths out of him but Norris looks to have pushed too hard and is now 2.2sec off the Red Bull ahead.
Leclerc and Sainz may well end up clashing on track again. Can Sainz close down Norris for second?
07:23 PM BST
Lap 11 of 19 - Norris dropping back now
He set the fastest first sector of the race, but that was less than a tenth faster than Verstappen. Verstappen’s second sector was a couple of tenths faster than the McLarens. Norris’s final sector is poor, too, 0.3sec off the leader’s pace.
07:21 PM BST
Lap 10 of 19 - Russell in trouble
“My front left is toast,” he says on the radio. He drops back to fifth as Leclerc gets him for fourth. Here is the top 10:
VER
NOR
SAI
LEC
RUS
HAM
MAG
HUL
TSU
PER
Verstappen’s lead at 1.4sec or so.
07:20 PM BST
Lap 9 of 19 - Verstappen fighting back
He is matching Norris’s pace, at least for now. Perhaps there was a little mistake on the previous lap. Russell loses a place to Sainz who is now in third and the Mercedes looks vulnerable to Leclerc in the other Ferrari now...
Carlos POUNCING on George 👏 pic.twitter.com/ecKhi5M55b
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
It’s just a tenth that Norris takes out of Verstappen by the end of this lap...
07:18 PM BST
Lap 8 of 19 - Norris closes the gap on Verstappen
The gap, which had stretched to 1.9sec, is now down to 1.4sec. Russell is dropping back a little from the McLaren, too. Hamilton dropping back from Leclerc in fifth, too.
07:16 PM BST
Lap 7 of 19 - Verstappen leads Norris by 1.9sec
There is, unsurprisingly, a top six and then the rest of them. Hamilton is a little further adrift of Leclerc and Verstappen is comfortably ahead of Norris in second.
07:14 PM BST
Lap 6 of 19 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
NOR +1.3
RUS +1.9
SAI +3.6
LEC +4.5
HAM +5.6
MAG +10.9
TSU +11.8
HUL +12.3
PER +13.3
07:13 PM BST
Lap 5 of 19 - Norris in trouble here
Russell is within DRS range and this could be a formality given the pace different. Sainz finally gets Leclerc for fourth in the final sector... Verstappen bossing this.
07:12 PM BST
Lap 4 of 19 - Verstappen leads Norris by 1.1sec
Norris now out of DRS range, which tends to compound the deficit. He may well drop back a bit now without getting a bit of extra help twice a lap. Perez nearly runs into the back of the RB of Tsunoda at the hairpin, with Hulkenberg and the Japanese duelling.
Whoa! 👀 pic.twitter.com/44ZdDDYV3o
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
07:10 PM BST
Lap 3 of 19 - The two Ferraris are at it
Sainz not getting much joy at the moment and does not make a move stick into the hairpin. Norris clinging onto the back of Verstappen, but the Dutchman has just increased his lead to a smidge over one second and sets the fastest lap of the race in the process. Russell has decent pace, too, in third.
07:08 PM BST
Lap 2 of 19 - Verstappen leads Norris by nearly one second
Let’s see what Norris and McLaren have. Upgrades for Red Bull here. How well are they working?
Sainz gets Leclerc up the inside of turn 15 but Leclerc gets the place back as he goes too deep!
Verstappen has not broken the DRS gap just yet...
07:06 PM BST
The US GP sprint race is go!
It’s a very good start from Verstappen as Russell is a bit slow to get away. He has not had many of them this year but Norris has made up two places, going aroudn the outside, and then inside, of Russell through the esses and he is up into second early on! The two Ferraris get very close early on but avoid contact, I believe.
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
LIGHTS OUT IN F1 SPRINT!!! 🤠
Verstappen scampers up to Turn 1 and leads while Norris makes up two places getting past Leclerc and Russell 😮
The McLaren driver is up to P2!! 💪#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/ospPAPb3nx— Formula 1 (@F1) October 19, 2024
Leclerc and Russell duel in the second sector and change positions for third several times... Russell clings on until the end of the lap.
Top 10:
VER
NOR
RUS
LEC
SAI
HAM
MAG
TSU
HUL
PER
07:02 PM BST
The formation lap is under way
Hamilton says something is “clicking” when he brakes, which sounds less than ideal. He is told that there is “nothing to concern” the team on the data.
Verstappen leads the drivers off on the formation lap 👉
The Dutchman has won all three #F1Sprint races so far this year - will he make it four in a row? #F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/BRe56mlWJU— Formula 1 (@F1) October 19, 2024
07:02 PM BST
There isn’t much strategy in sprint races
Or any, really. Just what tyre type you use. And today everyone, to a man, is on the mediums. They really need to reconsider this sprint format. It, and the qualifying for it, are far better than two practice sessions but they could be better still. A missed opportunity for F1.
06:59 PM BST
We are nearly ready for the sprint
19 laps at the Circuit of the Americas, for my money one of the top five tracks on the calendar along with Interlagos, Suzuka, Silverstone and... probably Monza?
06:55 PM BST
Norris speaks before the race
“I think we’re still doing a good job, it’s just a bit of a layout of the track... aren’t suiting us well. And we’ve got good competition like we’ve had the last five or six months. Optimistic that we can have a good race.”
06:50 PM BST
Christian Horner speaks about a first Red Bull pole since Imola
“It’s a mini-result because it’s just for the sprint but it demonstrates that the hard work is paying off... hopefully we can convert this into a good result today. I think just after Monza we started to get a good idea of what was going on and where the disconnect in imbalance was in the car.”
06:45 PM BST
Zak Brown of McLaren speaks to Sky Sports
On Norris, who starts fourth:
“He’s a little grumpy with himself but that usually translates to a pretty awesome race. I think he lost two and a half tenths... it’s a hard track, the bumps the new surface. I think if everyone put together their perfect lap, I think Lewis is one pole.”
On the Red Bull bib adjustment row:
“I think when you got into situations like this... I think we’re all [the team principals] confident that moving forward it’s a good solution. I do think we need to look back and make sure we have confidence. Any time you have an incident like that we all just want to have confidence that it’s all been done properly... I think we need the look-back.”
06:37 PM BST
Oscar Piastri did not manage to make it beyond SQ1 yesterday
Here is why...
A shock for McLaren as Oscar Piastri falls foul of track limits and is OUT in SQ1 🟠❌ pic.twitter.com/efHBb6JcEG
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 18, 2024
06:30 PM BST
Current driver standings
Again, a big ask for Norris to win but if Verstappen, for example, fails to finish tomorrow’s race and Norris wins or finishes well... then the points-per-race equation he needs beat the Dutchman by does not look so daunting.
06:22 PM BST
Current constructor standings
18 race wins spread out between four teams with at least three wins is not bad at all given how last year went and the start of this year, too.
06:20 PM BST
And a bit more from Tom Cary on the latest turn in F1’s ‘toxic’ season
Never mind bibs, they are going to need full-on hazmat suits to deal with the fallout from this increasingly toxic Formula One season if it goes to the wire.
Allegations in the build-up to this weekend’s United States Grand Prix that Red Bull may have been operating a so-called “bib device” – which controls ride height – between qualifying and race are merely the latest in a tit-for-tat war which has raged all year between the season’s two big players.
06:15 PM BST
McLaren warn of ‘massive consequences’ if Red Bull broke rules
Team’s CEO Zak Brown says a ‘thorough investigation’ is required regarding rival’s adjustment of car set-ups. Read more here.
06:07 PM BST
Times after sprint qualifying
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 32.833secs
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:32.845
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:33.059
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:33.083
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:33.089
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 1:33.183
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:33.378
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:33.398
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:33.802
Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 1:34.406
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:34.244
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:34.363
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:34.324
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:34.436
Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:34.617
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:34.881
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:34.917
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:35.054
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:35.148
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Kick Sauber 1:36.472
05:59 PM BST
Good evening
Welcome to our coverage for the sprint race (and later the qualifying) for the 2024 United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas, just outside of Austin. It has been a wee while since we had live Formula One action with the unofficial autumn break giving some much-needed downtime to a season that has been packed with action and incidents, especially in the last five or so months.
We head into this race with both championships still alive, though things are much closer in the constructors’ standings than in the drivers, where Max Verstappen of Red Bull leads Lando Norris of McLaren by 52 points with six rounds (and three sprints, including this one) remaining. That is a substantial gap, but it has been the direction of travel that has been worrying for Red Bull.
After winning seven of the first 10 races of the season (and plenty more the previous season), Verstappen has not won any of the last eight rounds, with just two podium positions in that time. Sadly for McLaren fans they have not managed to fully capitalise on this downturn in form from Red Bull, and – apart from perhaps some particularly bad luck for their rivals – Norris will need to be close to perfect from here on in to win the championship.
Unfortunately that was not the case in yesterday’s sprint qualifying. Verstappen took pole for that; his first F1 pole of any kind for quite a time. Norris could only qualify fourth, 0.25sec behind the Red Bull pole man. There are not that many points available in the sprint race (eight for the winner, one for the eighth-placed driver) but this is an opportunity for Verstappen to make his rival’s life that little bit more difficult by finishing ahead. Plenty can happen in a sprint race, especially on a track like this. That said, it often does not.
The action gets under way at 7pm BST and we will be here for all the build-up, live action and reaction from that before moving onto qualifying coverage around 10pm, with the session under way at 11pm. That, perhaps, could be more consequential for the title but McLaren will need to find something that they did not have yesterday and hope Red Bull lose that something, too.
