Leclerc secures victory as key statistics reveal Hamilton’s unexpected early exit and Ferrari’s return to dominance in the USA.
As with every Grand Prix, it’s time to delve into the most striking statistics, records broken, and notable streaks either continuing or coming to an abrupt halt during the last weekend…
Qualifying
In the past six Grands Prix at Austin, there have been six different pole-sitters: Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, and now, Lando Norris.
Norris claimed his sixth pole position of the season, his fourth in the last five Grands Prix. This also marked McLaren’s first pole in the United States since Hamilton’s at Indianapolis in 2007.
Norris’ lap, clocked at 1m 32.330s, is the fastest recorded on the Austin circuit in this decade.
Verstappen qualified second, narrowly missing out on his first pole in eight races by just 0.031 seconds.
Sainz secured his fifth top-three start of the season, though he has only reached the front row once. It’s also the first time he has out-qualified Leclerc in six races.
Oscar Piastri took fifth place for the second consecutive race.
Pierre Gasly secured seventh in Q3, matching his qualifying result at Austin in 2023. This also marked his best qualifying performance of the year for both him and Alpine.
Fernando Alonso reached Q3 for the seventh time in the last eight Grands Prix.
Kevin Magnussen made it into Q3 for the first time this year, and for the first time in Austin in a decade.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified 11th, having only made it into Q3 once in the last six races.
Nico Hulkenberg was outqualified by his teammate for only the fourth time this season.
Lance Stroll has only made it into Q3 once in seven attempts at Austin, back in 2022.
Liam Lawson did not set a time in Q2 due to a 60-place grid penalty.
Hamilton found himself in 19th position, qualifying behind Valtteri Bottas—an unprecedented result, as he had never qualified outside the top five in his 11 previous appearances at Austin.
Barring accidents and grid penalties, Hamilton has only found himself in the bottom two once before, at Silverstone in 2009.
Zhou Guanyu recorded the slowest qualifying time for the sixth consecutive race.
The Race
It was Ferrari’s first 1-2 finish in the United States since Indianapolis in 2006, with Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa.
This marked only Ferrari’s third 1-2 finish of the decade, and their sixth in the last 14 years.
Charles Leclerc claimed victory in the week of his 27th birthday. It was his 8th career win in F1 and his 40th podium finish.
Just like at Monza, he won from fourth on the grid!
For the second year running at Austin, the race winner came from outside the top three on the grid (Verstappen had won from sixth in 2023).
Leclerc became the first driver to lead the opening lap at Austin after starting from outside the front row.
Carlos Sainz secured his first podium in seven Grands Prix.
It was the first time Verstappen hadn’t won at Austin since 2019, having claimed victory in both Grands Prix and Sprint races since then.
Verstappen finished 19.412 seconds behind the race winner, his smallest gap to victory since the summer break.
However, the Red Bull driver remains without a non-Sprint race win in the last nine Grands Prix.
Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship has now shrunk to just 8 points.
Despite finishing fifth, Oscar Piastri remains the top scorer over the last nine Grands Prix, with 160 points.
George Russell, having started from the pit lane, finished sixth—his original starting position before the penalty.
Sergio Perez’s seventh-place finish was his worst result at Austin since 2019.
Nico Hulkenberg’s eighth-place finish secured Haas their best-ever result in a home Grand Prix.
Haas have now scored points in four consecutive races, a feat they last achieved mid-season in 2018.
With a ninth-place finish on his return to Red Bull, Liam Lawson matched his career-best result (Singapore 2023).
At Williams, Franco Colapinto secured tenth place, earning his second points finish in four Grand Prix starts.
Kevin Magnussen finished eleventh in the second Haas, marking the eighth time this year the team has finished in that position during a Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton retired on lap three, having previously completed every race held in the United States (1 GP in Indianapolis, 11 in Austin, 3 in Miami, 1 in Las Vegas).
It was the first time Mercedes failed to finish a Formula 1 race at Austin.
This marked Hamilton’s shortest Grand Prix (two laps completed) since his first-corner retirement in Qatar 2023.
His crash triggered the first safety car deployment since the Canadian Grand Prix, 10 races ago.
Alexander Albon celebrated his 100th Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Ocon set the fastest lap in the final moments of the race, snatching a point from Williams and Colapinto. It was the first fastest lap of the Frenchman’s career.
On the topic of fastest laps, Lance Stroll has now taken the most race starts in F1 history without setting the fastest lap. The Canadian has raced in 162 Grands Prix without ever recording a fastest lap, surpassing Johnny Herbert’s previous record of 161 starts.
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Key Stats Following F1 2024: The United States Grand Prix Key Stats Following F1 2024: The United States Grand Prix
