F1. United States 2024 Review

By Aiden McLaughlin, Gavin Huet and Chelsea Wintle

Driver of the day

Aiden – A year away from F1 made no difference to Kiwi Liam Lawson as he came from the back of the grid to finish ninth. He managed a 37-lap stint on hard tyres before switching to the mediums. It equalled his best F1 result, which he achieved when filling in for Daniel Ricciardo at the Singapore Grand Prix last year. It’s hard to keep expectations in check for this fella isn’t it?

Gavin – Charles Leclerc. Starting in fourth, he took the lead on the first corner and stayed there until the end, it was such a dominant and flawless race for Charles that I think the race director forgot about him and we hardly saw anything of him in the race.

Chelsea – Charles Leclerc had such a faultless race that it’s difficult to put a paragraph together – taking full advantage at turn 1, taking the lead from fourth position and never showing a sign that he might forfeit his place. Second place in both the constructor’s and driver’s championships could be the most exciting competition leading into the final race, and I’m here for it. Grazie ragazzi, mamma mia!

 

Moment of the weekend

Aiden – When Lando Norris passed Max Verstappen with only four laps to go, he ran off the track. He could have given the place back but instead he took a chance and when the stewards investigated, they handed him a five second penalty which meant he finished fourth behind the Dutchman and conceded valuable points in the race for the drivers championship. It’s looking more and more unlikely that Norris can make up the ground to deny Verstappen a fourth World title.

Gavin – That overtake on Max Verstappen by Lando Norris for third, which then resulted in a five second penalty for Lando and demoted him back to fourth. In the closing stages of the race Lando was hunting down Max, and the moment he got into DRS range we were treated to some fantastic racing between the two. I always thought that at some stage Lando would get past but as the laps dwindled down you could almost feel the desperation that resulted in that lunge for third. Now, you can argue all you like about the penalty, but surely the team would have told him that so many other drivers had been penalised on that corner that with a Championship at stake maybe he should be careful and not give the race stewards any chance of ruining his day. Sadly they did not.

Chelsea – Once again, the first lap proved crucial. With Norris and Verstappen filling the first row, and under pressure from the two Ferraris behind them, it was a big ask for Norris to maintain his lead, and he didn’t. A wily move by Leclerc saw him take the lead and maintain it for the race. I love that first corner in Austin – loads of room to move and make moves. This is Texas after all.

 

Hot take of the weekend

Aiden – Could Ferrari still catch McLaren in the constructors championship? They are 48 points behind with plenty of points still up for grabs and a 1-2 like this will have given them new hope. Also, Leclerc is only 22 points behind Norris in the drivers championship, so instead of looking into the distance at Verstappen, perhaps Norris needs to be looking over his shoulder a bit more.

Gavin – Liam Lawson had a great drive and has ramped up the pressure on both Yuki Tsunoda in the other RB, and also Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. Whilst those two endured mediocrity, Liam came along from 19th to end 9th. He was fast, he made overtakes, and he didn’t make any mistakes. If he continues like this for the next five races there will be some more driver changes for 2025.

Chelsea – Liam Lawson drew a number of headlines for his impressive performance over the weekend. Starting at the back with an inherited 60-place grid penalty, he worked his way through the field to finish with points in ninth position. He outscored teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who took a late spin, but was already proving more than a match prior to that. Chatter abounds that he could replace Perez in the big chair if he continues to prove himself. Whether that’s the right move is more down to Perez than Lawson – though I’d suggest that Perez has left it a bit late for a surge in performance. Bonus points to Lawson for having words with Fernando Alonso after a scuffle during the sprint race.

 

Cold take of the weekend

Aiden – Do you think Christian Horner & co are sitting there thinking that they have wasted three quarters of the season with Daniel Ricciardo in the RB seat? They’d never admit it of course, but Horner did acknowledge that Lawson ‘drove like a veteran’. Hopefully now that the Australian has been placed on the sidelines, Lawson can continue to impress for the last five race weekends and sit alongside Max Verstappen in 2025.

Gavin – The Lando attempt to win the Championship is over. Max has increased his lead after this race and as long as he keeps his car out of trouble I really cannot see how Lando can still win. It was always a long shot but now it is over.

Chelsea – We were treated to a load of great racing throughout the field this weekend, and there was always a battle to keep an eye on. Sadly, what stood out to me is how Lando Norris has not yet matured to championship level. He’s still in the running of course, but seeing him manoeuvring against the professionalism and experience of Max Verstappen, or even comparing him to the cool head of Charles Leclerc – Lando has some work to do. His self-flagellation in post-race interviews is becoming tiresome, and if he’s to dominate in 2025 he will need to do some growing over the winter break.

 

Bonus Pictures of the Week

Lando overtaking off the track (according to the race stewards) or Lando pushed off the track (according to just about everyone else).

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