This past weekend, the United States Grand Prix took place- one of three Formula 1 races held in the U.S. this season. Occurring in Austin, Texas, this race has a unique-country feel that is unlike any other. The race took place from October 17th-19th and was the 19th round of the F1 calendar.

Sprint Race

Max Verstappen got pole position for the sprint race, followed by Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and then Nico Hulkenberg. This sprint race had an incredibly eventful start. At turn 1, a collision between Hulkenberg and Piastri led to Piastri, Norris, and Fernando Alonso retiring from the race. Verstappen avoided the chaos, earning him first place in the sprint race. The sprint race could not have turned out better for Verstappen: he won 8 points while both of his championship rivals, Norris and Piastri DNF’ed, earning 0 points.

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda had an impressive sprint race. He gained 11 places, starting from 18th and finishing 7th by skillfully avoiding the incident at turn 1.

Sprint Race Podium:

1st- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2nd- George Russell (Mercedes)

3rd- Carlos Sainz (Williams)

Qualifying

Verstappen only had one flying lap due to bad timing from Red Bull strategists, but he again got pole position for the Grand Prix on Sunday. He was followed by Norris and then Charles Leclerc.

Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli unfortunately got hit by Carlos Sainz, leading him to lose 7th position and fall to 19th. The collision led to Sainz retiring from the race.

Current championship leader Oscar Piastri struggled with pace the entire race which resulted in him ending in 5th place.

The biggest battle of this race by far was between Norris and Leclerc. Leclerc had an impressive start, passing Norris and maintaining 2nd place for the majority of the race. However, on lap 51 out of 56, Norris passed Leclerc, earning him 2nd place.

Conclusion

Max Verstappen absolutely dominated this whole weekend with pole position in both the sprint race and Grand Prix and by winning the sprint race and Grand Prix. He led both races the entire time, starting in 1st and ending in 1st. The odds are starting to increase in his favor of winning his 5th world championship. The gap is shrinking as Verstappen moves to within 40 points of the championship lead. 

Grand Prix Podium:

1st Place- Max Verstappen (Redbull)

2nd Place- Lando Norris (McLaren)

3rd Place- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Driver of the Day- Charles Leclerc

Fastest Lap of the Day- Kimi Antonelli