Formula One United States GP Verstappen wins with Hamilton second – as it happened (2024)

You can read a full report from today’s race here:

Hamilton gains a bit more ground on Perez, and Norris closes in on Leclerc.

1. Max Verstappen, 466 (1st today)
2. Sergio Perez, 238 (5th)
3. Lewis Hamilton, 219 (2nd)
4. Fernando Alonso, 183 (retired)
5. Carlos Sainz, 168 (4th)
6. Charles Leclerc, 159 (6th)
7. Lando Norris, 156 (3rd)
8. George Russell, 139 (7th)
9. Oscar Piastri, 83 (retired)
10. Pierre Gasly, 52 (8th)
11. Lance Stroll, 49 (9th)
12. Esteban Ocon, 44 (retired)

The only change farther down: Yuki Tsunoda picked up two points, including one for the fastest lap and one for finishing 10th, and now has five on the season, up to 17th place.

Logan Sargeant, racing in his home country, finished 12th, two places away from his first points of the season.

That’s a wrap from here – enjoy the rest of the season. The Vegas race will surely be one to watch.

Norris: “We’re getting there. Just a few more steps needed. To finish on the podium here is better than we were expecting.”

The crowd chants “Lando!”

Verstappen: “The whole race, I was struggling with the brakes. That definitely made my race a bit tougher.”

Hamilton, basking in the roar from the crowd, gives credit to Red Bull first: “Came in fighting, felt great, and really happy with this result.”

And he talks about how happy he is to be here: “I’ve always felt really welcome here. It’s a really progressive country.”

“Fantastic weekend, guys,” Hamilton says. “Let’s keep pushing.”

Indeed, the gap between Red Bull and Mercedes doesn’t look quite as insurmountable as it did a few months ago.

That’s win No. 50.

If Hamilton had three or four more laps, this could be a different story.

Norris comfortably takes third. Then Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, Stroll and Tsunoda, who is bidding for the fastest lap and … gets it!

Lap 56: Hamilton gets to 1.5 … 1.4 … Verstappen is passing Zhou and is able to use DRS to do so, and that pushes the gap to 1.8 …

That should do it.

Lap 55: Verstappen now has to deal with traffic, as he comes up on the last cars in left in the race.

2.3 seconds … 2.2 … oh, how Hamilton must be wishing this race was 60 laps rather than 56!

1.8 …

Tsunoda just pitted but remains in the top 10. Surely a bid for fastest lap.

Lap 54: 3.6 … 3.4 … 3.2 …

Verstappen is again irritated that his team is talking to him.

Is something shocking in the works here? Reminder: This is a 56-lap race.

Lap 53: Perez passes Leclerc, which ought to send a message to Leclerc that “letting” Sainz pass wasn’t a bad idea.

Hmmm … Hamilton seems to have taken about a second out of Verstappen’s lead …

Lap 52: Meanwhile, Leclerc might lose another place to a late charge from Perez.

Hamilton is cutting into Verstappen’s lead, but it’s too late, unless Verstappen’s brake issue gets a lot more serious.

Lap 51: Leclerc wants to “talk after the race” about having to let Sainz go past.

Meanwhile, Sainz and his team excitedly talk about the prospect of catching Norris to land on the podium.

Lap 50: Setting up the last six laps …

1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton, too far back to pass
3. Norris, will stay there
4. Sainz, who just passed teammate Leclerc
5. Leclerc, who’ll probably stay there

The rest of the top 10 should be set: Perez, Russell, Gasly, Stroll, Tsunoda.

Contrasting fortunes farther back – Alonso has retired. Ricciardo made a late pit stop and is rewarded with the fastest lap. He’s 10 seconds behind everyone else, but that’s a nice consolation.

Lap 49: Hamilton finally gets into second despite a spirited defense by Norris.

Russell somehow posts the fastest lap.

Verstappen’s still going to win.

Alonso is out of the points.

Lap 48: Hamilton is within a second of Norris.

Sainz is gaining on his teammate Leclerc for fourth, which could get awkward.

Hamilton pulls up on Norris but hasn’t passed.

Oh no! Alonso reports a rear-suspension problem!

Lap 47: I misread the margins – Alonso is actually much closer to eighth-place Gasly.

Stroll is gaining quickly on Tsunoda in the race for the all-important 10th spot. You can count out the rest: Albon is nearly 15 seconds back, then Hulkenberg, Sargeant, Ricciardo, Bottas, Zhou, Magnussen.

Lap 46: Sargeant passes Ricciardo, adding more proof that the one-stop strategy was never going to work.

Verstappen’s team tells him he’s clocking the same pace as Hamilton. Verstappen: “Please, no talking! I’m in the braking!”

I think the drama here, though, is just about over. Verstappen’s going to win. Again. Hamilton might get Norris for second, but that’s it.

Lap 45: Oh, Leclerc is not happy. Asked if he wants to switch from Plan C to Plan D, Leclerc answers that Plan C has already ruined the race for him, bleep bleep bleep.

Alonso has passed Tsunoda. What a race. He’ll need to find 12 seconds in 11 laps to get any higher than ninth, but after starting in pit row, that’s quite a feat.

Lap 44: Alonso must have gone to pit row, because he’s down to 10th. Stroll is still 11th. Ah – confirmation there that Alonso has made his second stop.

You know who hasn’t? Leclerc. The pole-sitter may drop farther and farther.

Hamilton notes that there’s still a big gap. The Most Patient Man in the World responds that he’s making up ground and will get “P2, maybe the win.”

Lap 43: Hamilton posts the fastest lap and gets right on Leclerc’s tail. It takes longer than he may have wanted, but he gets the overtake, and he’s in third.

Lap 42: Verstappen’s feelings about his brakes are still unprintable.

Sargeant gets a black-and-white flag.

Lap 41: Let’s reset with 15 laps left …

Verstappen is pulled away from Norris, who won’t be threatened by Leclerc. Hamilton is fourth but will surely overhaul Leclerc at some point. Sainz and Perez are firmly in fifth and sixth. Then it’s Alonso, Russell, Gasly and Tsunoda. (Stroll must have pitted – he’s back in 11th.)

Leclerc and Alonso have pitted once, as has 12th-place Ricciardo. Everyone else has gone twice and surely won’t return.

Lap 40: Perez sets the fastest lap.

Russell pits again. Did Mercedes completely botch the strategy here, or can Hamilton and Russell gain while they’re on the medium tires?

Russell emerges in ninth, behind Stroll in eighth and … Fernando Alonso in seventh! What a race the veteran is having!

Lap 39: Hamilton pits! Oh my. So much for the idea of going the rest of the way on the hard compound. He’ll be on mediums, though, so maybe that’ll be an advantage? Or not – Norris is on the hard compounds and just claimed the fastest lap honor.

Verstappen takes the lead, as if that’s a surprise. Norris also zips past Leclerc, who has been passed so many times in this race that he must feel like he’s in the right lane on a busy US interstate.

Lap 38: Perez pits. Hamilton now has a 13-second lead over Leclerc, who has Verstappen in DRS range behind him. Perez drops all the way to seventh with that pit stop.

Sainz, who posted the fastest lap of the race many laps ago, betters his own mark. He’s gaining on Russell for fifth.

Lap 37: So it’s Hamilton far ahead of Perez, who’s far ahead of Leclerc, who’s not at all far ahead of Verstappen and Norris. Then Russell, Sainz, Gasly, Alonso (up to ninth!) and Stroll.

Sargeant, in case you’re curious, has dropped all the way back to 16th.

Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Tsunoda and the bottom six have all pitted twice. Everyone else, once. Will Tsunoda end up in the top 10? He’s 11th, 10.6 seconds back.

Lap 36: It’s all happening here!

Verstappen pits. Sainz pits.

Verstappen comes out just ahead of Norris. Sainz is now seventh. Now all the of the top 11 are on hard tires … except Perez, who’s in second. For now.

Lap 35: Verstappen is indeed starting to pull away just a bit. Hamilton is now 6.2 seconds back. How is Verstappen doing this?

Sainz has inherited third, with Perez still close behind. Then it’s Leclerc, then Norris.

Lap 34: Verstappen yells some profanity to his team about his brakes. “Understood,” comes the replay.

But he has very suddenly opened up a gap of three seconds on Norris.

“Max is pulling away,” Hamilton says on the radio. “It’s more like Norris is coming to you,” comes the instant response.

And Norris pits! Only 17 laps on the hard compound??

Lap 33: No, you didn’t miss an entry – I finally took too long with an update.

Hamilton says the wind has picked up. Then he gets within four seconds of Verstappen.

If you’ve been waiting for a race in which the outcome is very much in doubt two-thirds of the way through, congratulations. It’s your lucky day.

Lap 31: Norris feels pretty strongly that Verstappen isn’t staying inside the lines. Even so, Norris is hanging around, barely a second back. And Hamilton is chipping away at the gap to both of them.

Sainz is more than five seconds behind Hamilton, with Perez creeping up.

Any other change in top 10 over the next five laps looks unlikely. The broadcasters, determined to show an overtake somewhere, treat us to a view of Hulkenberg passing Sargeant.

Lap 30: For all of Hamilton’s complaining, he’s doing quite well right now, pulling within five seconds of Verstappen.

Albon has pitted again and seems unlikely to challenge for the top 10.

Hey – Sargeant is up to 12th! USA! USA!

Lap 29: What to watch in the last 27 laps …

1. Will Verstappen build enough of a lead to stay ahead of Norris and Hamilton when he has to pit?

2. Will Perez overhaul Sainz for fourth?

3. Alonso should easily stay in 10th. Can he do more?

Lap 28: David C. Hunter writes: “Dear Beau, Welcome back to the Cozy Confines of Guardian MBM. I hate it when people ask how do you feel now that F1 has really put Austin on the map? Not just because we were fine before but also because so much that has happened over the last 30 years, and 11 since the track opened, has been detrimental to the place. And I include Mr X, his car factory and his five houses in that decline. Besides, who needs celebrities when you have Willie Nelson?!”

And Stevie Ray Vaughan. And tons of great musicians.

And … as predicted, Verstappen takes the lead.

Lap 27: This is going to be Norris’ last lap in the lead. The question will be whether Verstappen puts enough distance between himself and Norris to make up for the second pit stop the champion will have to make.

Zhou’s team asks him to let Bottas pass. He’s not doing well.

Hamilton: “You’ve given me a hell of a gap to close.” I get the sense he’s not happy.

Lap 26: Horner did seem to think Norris, among others, was going quite well on hard tires. But Verstappen is very quickly gaining on him. And Hamilton doesn’t seem happy with his team suggesting that he could be pushing harder. “I’m trying, mate, I’m trying!”

Lap 25: Red Bull’s Christian Horner chats with the broadcast crew. He doesn’t say much.

Albon easily passes Zhou or 11th.

Lap 24: Fernando Alonso has worked his way into the top 10. Not bad after starting on pit row.

Magnussen is already in last place, and he gets a black-and-white flag (warning) for failing to stay on track.

1. Norris
2. Verstappen
3. Hamilton
4. Sainz
5. Perez
6. Leclerc
7. Russell
8. Gasly

Lap 23: Ricciardo pits and drops to 15th. Fun while it lasted.

At last, Leclerc pits …

Lap 22: Edward Tuijl wants to know what’s going on in the lower order, and now that everyone has pitted aside from temporary race leader Leclerc and seventh-place Ricciardo, I can give a quick rundown …

Top seven: Leclerc (yet to pit), Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Sainz, Perez, Ricciardo.

Then it’s Russell, with Gasly right on his tail. Tsunoda is 10th, far ahead of Zhou. Then it’s a fight for 12th between Albon, Alonso and Bottas.