While all eyes were on world championship contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who engaged in an exhilarating and contentious battle at the finish, a compelling late-season twist emerged with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc securing a commanding victory at the US Grand Prix. This triumph by the Scuderia now positions them to influence the title race, intensifying the excitement as the season approaches its climax.

Leclerc achieved a one-two finish alongside teammate Carlos Sainz, comfortably outperforming both Verstappen and Norris. Verstappen finished third and Norris fourth, with the latter receiving a five-second penalty for an off-track maneuver, relegating him to fourth. Norris expressed frustration with his team for not advising him to relinquish the position to avoid the penalty.

Despite their intense on-track rivalry, the two title protagonists were overshadowed by Ferrari’s resurgence in Texas. Norris, who lost the lead at the race start but fought back fiercely, demonstrated impressive pace, though he now trails Verstappen by 57 points. The British driver’s performance in the closing stages, where Verstappen struggled, offers some hope for the remaining five races.

Their battle was fierce. Both opting for a one-stop strategy, Norris, on fresher tires, relentlessly pursued Verstappen in the final laps. The Dutchman defended tenaciously, but Norris eventually overtook him, albeit off-track. Both drivers believed they were in the right, but the stewards penalized Norris.

Ferrari dominated the day, their first win in Austin since Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in 2018 signaling a turnaround in their performance. Leclerc led from the start, capitalizing on Norris’s loss of position at the first turn. Ferrari’s recent upgrades, introduced to address issues from earlier in the season, seem to have finally paid off, positioning Leclerc to play a significant role in the drivers’ championship.

With five races remaining, including two sprint events, Norris needed to outscore Verstappen by nearly nine points per race. While he fell short, he remains in contention. McLaren, however, hoped for more given their car’s pace in the latter half of the season, but the upgrades introduced in Austin did not yield the desired progress.

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