Austin - Race

The American sprint was equal parts exciting and surprising, thanks to the turn one collision that completely changed the fate of the weekend. For many drivers, especially those still in the fight for the World Drivers' Championship, Sunday's Grand Prix was a chance for redemption. The atmosphere was tense as the drivers lined up on the grid. Who ended up excelling under the scorching sun? 

Out of all the drivers in the top ten, Charles Leclerc was the only one who decided to start on softs instead of mediums. The risky strategy paid off as he managed to move up to P2 in the very first turn. The opening lap was also great for the second Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton, who overtook George Russell and ended up in P4. The younger Brit fell all the way to sixth position, giving Oscar Piastri a chance to make up a spot.

Before the first lap was over, a yellow flag momentarily waved over the circuit, as Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto collided, making the former fall to the very bottom of the standings. The already tough day for Williams only turned worse when, on lap seven, Carlos Sainz made contact with Kimi Antonelli as he tried to find a way past him. Both cars sustained damage, but while the Mercedes driver managed to rejoin the race,  the Spaniard had to finish his day early. The incident brought out a virtual safety car, which stayed on track until the end of lap eight.

When racing was resumed, the leader, Max Verstappen, quickly soared away from the rest of the field. Behind him, Lando Norris was determined to overtake Leclerc and reclaim the P2 he had lost at the start. It took him a few attempts, but he did manage to get past him on lap 21. Soon after losing track position, the Monegasque pitted and exchanged his used-up softs for a set of brand new mediums. 

While it took the frontrunners a while longer to make their way to the pits, they did eventually come by the garages in a steady wave. Piastri pitted on lap 31, with Hamilton, Norris, Verstappen, and Russel following in the span of the next few laps. The biggest pit stop-induced change in the order was Norris returning to his previous spot behind the Ferrari of Leclerc. 

Thanks to the slower Ferrari making the race difficult for the higher-placing McLaren, Verstappen could continue increasing his lead over the rest of the field. It quickly became clear that catching up to him would be almost impossible, and that the most interesting fight of the Grand Prix would be that for P2. With twenty laps to go, Leclerc was in the front, with his rival having to watch his step due to being one track limits infringement away from a five-second penalty. 

Norris fell back for a few laps, making all Ferrari fans hope that he had exhausted his possibilities, but it wasn't long before he revealed that he was only gathering strength for a final attack. He began eating away at the few seconds that he built up between the two of them and finally, on lap 51, moved past the scarlet Ferrari, getting the coveted P2. 

Not much happened in the last laps, save for Verstappen taking yet another victory and firmly putting himself back in WDC contention. He is currently only 40 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri. Who knows, maybe the McLaren champion isn't as certain as it seemed to be a few weeks ago. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. Charles Leclerc

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. Oscar Piastri

6. George Russell

7. Yuki Tsunoda

8. Nico Hulkenberg

9. Oliver Bearman

10. Fernando Alonso

11. Liam Lawson

12. Lance Stroll

13. Kimi Antonelli

14. Alex Albon

15. Esteban Ocon

16. Isack Hadjar

17. Franco Colapinto

18. Gabriel Bortoleto

19. Pierre Gasly

DNF: Carlos Sainz