Charles Leclerc and Ferrari shake up the 2024 F1 season with stunning United States GP win

AUSTIN — The joyful smiles in the paddock told the story of Ferrari’s week in Austin.

The team arrived in Texas for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix facing questions about their car, and whether Ferrari could turn the McLaren-Red Bull duet at the top of the Constructors’ Championship standings into a jazz trio. But Charles Leclerc was unsure whether this would be the best week for them. While the SF-24 had been strong in recent weeks, Leclerc did not know if recent upgrades would simply produce track-specific benefits — such as his win in Monza or his hard-fought P2 in Azerbaijan — or translate into something bigger.

“I still expect McLaren to be in front, Red Bull to be very similar to them. And then us and Mercedes, depending on how good of a weekend we have, will be will be there,” described Leclerc to the media, including SB Nation, on Thursday. “But we are not the favorite going into this weekend.”

But when the weekend came to a close Leclerc was on the top step of the podium with teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. next to him, as Ferrari locked out the front row in a dominant performance at Circuit of the Americas.

“It was the perfect Sunday,” said Team Principal Frederic Vasseur after the race.

Has the season changed again?

Leclerc now believes that both he and Ferrari can have Championship dreams.

“I mean, never say never. Let’s say that for the Constructors’, if we do everything perfect until the end of the season, no matter what McLaren does, if we do better than them, I think we can still clinch that title,” said Leclerc in the FIA Press Conference Sunday. “With the Drivers’, I see it a bit in a different way. Even if we do everything perfect, I feel like it will require a little bit of luck inside that to try and get that title, and we cannot really rely on luck. So the Drivers’ seems to be quite unlikely, but again, I’ll believe in it until it’s mathematically impossible. But trickier.”

The United States Grand Prix began with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen battling into Turn 1, opening the door for Leclerc’s Ferrari to storm to the front.

When the season comes to a close, will that be the ultimate story?

Here are more winners and losers from the United States Grand Prix.

Winner: Liam Lawson

Visa Cash App RB F1 Team announced following the Singapore Grand Prix that Liam Lawson would step into Daniel Ricciardo’s RB01 for the remainder of the 2024 season, a decision that while expected, was handled in a way that Team Principal Laurent Mekies described as not “ideal” during Friday’s FIA Press Conference.

Beyond how the decision was handled, Lawson stepped into a difficult situation in Austin. He was hit with a grid penalty when the team changed the engine on his RB01, dropping him to the back of the field. He was driving at a track he never raced at before, and he even got into a bit of a dustup with Fernando Alonso during the F1 Sprint Race.

But when the checkered flag flew, Lawson was up in P9, having delivered a stunning recovery drive to get into the points despite starting in P19.

It was a drive that caught the eye of Christian Horner.

“Yeah, I think if you’re getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you’re doing all right. And I think that he drove an exceptional race today from 19th to ninth,” said Horner to the media, including SB Nation, Sunday evening. “He was fast. He was courageous. And I thought it was an excellent comeback for him.”

How VCARB handled the Ricciardo decision might not have been ideal, but Lawson’s drive on Sunday certainly was.

Losers: Aston Martin

Aston Martin leaves Austin without anything to show for their efforts at the Circuit of the Americas. Fernando Alonso finished 13th despite starting up in P7. Lance Stroll was shuffled to the back of the pack following the safety car restart and ended up in 15th.

“It was a tough race for us today and we dropped back a few places from our starting position,” said Alonso after the race. “I think we outperformed the car’s natural position in Qualifying and we knew it would be an uphill battle to stay inside the top ten. It’s been a difficult weekend and we have lots to analyse over the next few days to get better for Mexico.”

Team Principal Mike Krack described Sunday as a “difficult” day for the team.

“A very difficult race day. It is really disappointing to come away from the weekend without any points. The midfield is incredibly tight and we were on the wrong side of the competition,” said Krack. “We just didn’t have any pace all weekend. We have to learn from days like today, redouble our efforts and put actions in place ahead of next weekend in Mexico.”

Winner: Franco Colapinto

Something special is happening at Williams.

Throughout the week, one of the most popular figures in the paddock was that of young Franco Colapinto. F1’s newest hero is on a meteoric rise right now, having captured the attention of the entire F1 world.

That star turn shows no signs of slowing down after what he did on Sunday.

After what he described as a “tough” Saturday for the team, Colapinto started down in P15 Sunday. But de delivered a tremendous recovery drive, charging into the points and finishing tenth. At one point Colapinto even had the bonus point in hand for the fastest lap of the race, and while Alpine and Pierre Gasly snatched the fastest lap of the race away from him in the closing moments, it did not diminish Colapinto’s performance.

“I am happy,” said the young driver to the media, including SB Nation, after the race. “It was a very tough Saturday for us. And I think we knew that we had the pace in the car to be strong and to do a good race. That’s why, so I decided to start on the hard [tires], to have a bit of clean air.

“I thought maybe it was not ideal, but I knew that having the pace that we had, it was it was gonna be better for us,” continued Colapinto. “And to be honest, first, when we were in clean air, on the hards, we were really strong.

“And then once we put the mediums [on], we were flying.”

Colapinto appreciated the ability of the entire team to come back strong after that difficult day on Saturday.

“So it was great to see, you know, how we [bounced back] today and how we came back stronger after a very difficult day yesterday. And it was a tough Saturday for the team.“

Now he gets to head to Mexico City, where in all likelihood the rocket ship that is his F1 career will only continue to soar.

Losers: Sauber

The search for the first points of the 2024 season rolls on at Sauber.

The team brought some new components to Austin, hoping to extract as much improved performance as possible out of the C44.

But when the checkered flag flew Zhou Guanyu was down in P19, and Valtteri Bottas just a few spots ahead of him in P17.

Both drivers were a lap down.

Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, after the race Zhou Guanyu said that the pace in the car was “promising” on Sunday, but outlined that the team still has issues with the C44 that they need to understand.

They need to do that fast, as time is running out for Sauber to capture that elusive first point of the 2024 F1 season.

Winner: Max Verstappen

In the end, perhaps Norris said it best.

Speaking with the media after the race, the McLaren driver had this to say about his battle with Verstappen Sunday:

“But the one car I need to beat is Max and that’s one car I didn’t beat today,” said Norris to the media, including SB Nation, after the United States Grand Prix. “So it was an unsuccessful weekend, all in all. But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough, and we have work to do, and I have work to do on myself.”

Norris went on to describe how you cannot race Verstappen “half-hearted,” and that speaks to just how driven Verstappen is to win. The battle between Norris and Verstappen was the talk of the entire paddock on Sunday night — creeping into almost every media session regardless of driver or team — and remained the talk of Austin at the airport Monday morning. But Sunday’s race was another example of what Verstappen is willing to do to win, and what drivers need to do to try and beat him.

This week was also the first time since Spa that Verstappen managed to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead over Norris, a fact Horner pointed out in the Red Bull hospitality space following the race. “ I mean, five races to go now. So, 7 point lead. I mean, nothing’s ever, ever comfortable or assured, but, it was important for us,” said Horner to the media, including SB Nation, Sunday evening. “I mean, this is the first time we’ve outscored Lando things since I think Spa. “That was important for us to get off the back foot and more onto the front foot.”

Norris may very well catch Verstappen in the end, and he now has Austin as well as Austria as learning lessons in what it might take to pull that off.

But as Norris put it, Verstappen is the one driver he needs to beat, and on Sunday, Verstappen came out on top.

Loser: Mark Schofield

I have to say this.

I grew up near, and learned to drive in, Boston. I thought driving in Boston was tough.

Driving in and around Austin was much tougher for your hero.

Let’s put it this way, more often than not I was in the wrong lane. At exits, in Austin, near the track, almost everywhere I went. Even with the most advanced navigational software available, and even with a rental car complete with Apple CarPlay and a huge screen for me to use, I struggled.

That continued until my final moments behind the wheel here in Texas, as I found myself in the wrong lane three different times on the drive from the hotel to the airport.

Which is why I left early. At least I learned my lesson.

Other than that, this was an indescribable week. The simple fact is that I get to live a dream job, and it would not be possible without all of you reading and sharing the work. I can never thank you enough.

Some other special shoutouts. To Abigail Tufts at Alpine, you’re an absolute rock star, and never forget that. To Elizabeth Blackstock of PlanetF1 it was a blast hanging out at the track this week, and thank you for all your help. You’re a legend, keep crushing it.

And to my family, thank you for letting me do things like this. You mean the world to me. I’ll see you soon.

And now friends, I have a plane to catch. See you on the other side.