Charles Leclerc won the US Grand Prix in a Ferrari one-two with Carlos Sainz on Sunday as Max Verstappen dealt Lando Norris a significant setback in the Formula One title battle after a thrilling duel between the two.
Red Bull’s triple world champion finished third to stretch his championship lead over his McLaren rival, who ended up fourth after starting on pole position, to 57 points with five rounds remaining.
Norris had passed Verstappen four laps from the end, after hunting his Dutch rival down on fresher tires, but was handed a five-second penalty for going off the track and gaining an advantage.
Photo: AFP
The overtake was the major talking point of the race at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fifth with Mercedes’ George Russell sixth and Sergio Perez seventh for Red Bull.
Nico Hulkenberg scored precious points for US-owned Haas in eighth while New Zealander Liam Lawson got off to a great return with Red Bull-owned RB with ninth place despite starting at the back of the grid.
Photo: AP
Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto also continued his standout form with the final point for Williams.
Leclerc’s win, his third of the season after Monaco and Monza, ended Verstappen’s run of three successive US Grand Prix wins at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
“One-two for the team. We couldn’t have dreamt for better,” he said. “We did a great job. The pace of the car was really good. That’s thanks to the engineers. They have been working like crazy to bring upgrades that we had in Singapore and the last few races. It seems to be paying off.”
Although Verstappen won the Saturday 100km sprint from pole, collecting the maximum eight points, his losing Sunday streak extended to nine grands prix going back to Spain in June.
Norris made a quick getaway, reacting faster than Verstappen, but was then forced wide at the uphill first corner with Verstappen gaining a place while Leclerc overtook both on the inside with Sainz following through in third.
The McLaren driver complained over the team radio about Verstappen’s move.
“He clearly pushed me off. He had no intent to make the corner,” said the Briton. “Even he went off the track. I had to avoid crashing into him or him into me.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown said his driver had suffered “a bit of a dive bomb.”
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS