Max third after tense battle at COTA: 'Podium is a good result'

Published on 21 October 2024 by Stefan Meens

At the United States Grand Prix. Max Verstappen held on to a podium place at the Circuit of the Americas after finishing in third place following a thrilling fight with McLaren’s Lando Norris. The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver therefor extended his championship lead over his closest rival. Meanwhile, Ferrari scored their first 1-2 victory on American soil since 2006 with Charles Leclerc claiming his third win of the season ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz.

“It was a difficult race for me”, reflected Max. “I didn’t have the pace to attack, so it was different to yesterday. I struggled with a lot of understeer and was fighting the brakes. It made defending harder. Every time someone attacked me, it was hard to brake late.”

Looking back on his fight with Norris, the reigning champion said: “It was really difficult for me to brake late because the car just wouldn’t turn. It was easy to lock up and difficult to get a straight exit. We were able to keep him behind, but eventually he got past. Because he overtook me outside the track, he got a penalty, which worked out well for us. It was a tough fight with Lando, but to hold on to a podium is a good result for us.”

Starting from P2 behind polesitter Norris, Max gets a good launch and overtakes the McLaren into turn one. With the championship rivals battling hard, the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc squeezes into to the lead at turn two, with Max slotting behind. Leclerc’s teammate Sainz manages to move into third, meaning Norris loses three places on the opening lap.

In the first couple of laps, Leclerc eases away and Max has to look in his mirrors to keep the charging Sainz behind. The fight is halted when the Safety Car is released following Lewis Hamilton beaching his Merecedes on the exit of turn nineteen.

The field is released at the start of lap five with Max staying close to leader Leclerc. Unable to capitalise on a strong restart, Max has to allow the Monegasque to slowly disappear into the distance.

Sainz is the first driver in the top five to pit. The Spaniard does so on lap 22 to exchange his medium Pirellis for the hard compound. The undercut Ferrari are trying to achieve pays dividends; after making his first and only stop of the race, Max rejoins behind Sainz.

At the front, Leclerc comfortably leads, with Norris and Oscar Piastri extending their opening stints in P2 and P3. When the McLarens make their stops on lap 32 and 33, they rejoin in fourth and fifth behind the two Ferraris and Max.

After switching to the hard tyres, Max endures a challenging second stint reporting to the team that he “can’t use these tyres for braking nor attacking.” This results is fourth placed Norris rapidly closing the gap between himself and the Red Bull racer.

On lap 44, Norris is within DRS range and over the next half a dozen laps a thrilling battle evolves for the final spot on the podium. The fight reaches a crescendo on lap 52, with Norris attempting an overtake at turn twelve. Both drivers go wide, with the McLaren passing the Red Bull outside the track limits. Norris opts not to give the place back, meaning the Brit crosses the line ahead of the Dutchman. Norris is subsequently penalised with a five second penalty for ‘leaving the track and gaining an advantage’.

It means Max holds on to his twelfth podium of the season, behind a dominant Ferrari who score a commanding 1-2 with Leclerc ahead of Sainz. In the championship, Max extends his lead to 57 points with five Grands prix and two sprints remaining.

Results Grand Prix United States: