Hello and welcome to the Total-Motorsport.com live blog from the Circuit of the Americas as the F1 2024 United States GP Sprint Race continues an action packed weekend of racing in Austin.
Sprint Qualifying saw Max Verstappen put any doubts about Red Bull‘s pace following controversy over the front bib on the car, as he grabbed pole position for the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race.
Lando Norris, who is Verstappen‘s main title rival and needs a perfect weekend to keep his championship challenge alive, was slightly off the pace in his McLaren and starts fourth in the US GP Sprint Race.
Ferrari also look to have pace at the Circuit of the Americas, and after topping FP1, Charles Leclerc put the Scuderia on the second row of the grid for the Sprint Race, just behind Verstappen and Mercedes driver George Russell.
Get ready as the teams dump the fuel from their cars and go for it. Tyre life? Not a concern. The only thing that matters is finding every last hundredth of a second the likes of Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Norris or Verstappen can squeeze out of their cars.
This is F1 at its supreme best as the cars dancing on a knife edge around the 5.513km Circuit of the Americas, knowing one small mistake could spell disaster for the rest of the weekend. This is motorsport at its very limit.
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2024 United States GP Sprint Race: Live Updates
Total-Motorsport.com brings you F1 live updates from the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race.
Norris escapes penalty for “erratic driving”
Lando Norris manages to escaper a penalty for his last lap defences against the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race.
Norris locked up on the final lap whilst trying to defend at the Circuit of the Americas before defending the inside of Turn 15, something Leclerc felt was moving under braking. However, the stewards disagreed.
Lando Norris is now under investigation for “erratic driving”
Lando Norris’ last lap defences from Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are now officially under investigation by the F1 stewards.
A five-second penalty would drop the McLaren down just the one place behind Leclerc, giving Max Verstappen an extra point in his bid to stay ahead in the 2024 F1 standings.
Lando Norris noted for “erratic driving”
Lando Norris has been noted by the F1 stewards for “erratic driving”, likely relating to his last lap defence from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Whilst noted, he is not yet under investigation so we will see how this unfolds and update you as soon as there is news.
Max Verstappen celebrates first win since June
Max Verstappen comfortably dominated the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race in a blast-from-the-past style reminiscent of 2023 and the first part of his season.
And as his championship lead grows, does he feel confident moving forwards this weekend?
“It feels a bit like old times,” Verstappen joked to F1 TV. “I’m very happy with today. If you look at the whole race, Ferrari was also very quick.
“For us, finally we are racing again. Normally we are always looking back but now we can just do our own race, so we had good pace.”
Sainz looking towards positive 2024 United States Grand Prix after Sprint success
Carlos Sainz made a bold last-lap move on Lando Norris after previously getting very punchy with Charles Leclerc and George Russell as the Spaniard rediscovers his spicy chilli mojo.
So does he think Ferrari can win the 2024 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas?
“We had a lot of battles, especially the first five laps. A lot going on,” Sainz told F1 TV. “Towards the end I started struggling with the tyres, but I saw Lando also struggling.
“And I thought if I could get into DRS I would have chance of finishing in P2. We made it stick into Turn 1 and it was a fun one.
“It’s encouraging to maybe see for tomorrow we have a good chance. For qualifying our car is not in the best place but we’ll try to qualify as far ahead as possible.”
Norris “happy” despite losing ground in Formula 1 championship battle
A last-lap lock-up left Lando Norris losing further ground to Max Verstappen in the 2024 F1 title fight, as he watched Carlos Sainz go sailing by into Turn 1.
How does he feel as the gap to Verstappen grows to 54 points with time running out to overturn the deficit before the season ends in December?
“It was a good race. I’m pretty happy with how things ended up,” Norris told Guenther Steiner and F1 TV. “It was a tough one. I thought I could hang onto second but Carlos did a good job.
“My front tyres were completely finished, so there wasn’t a lot I could do. Disappointing end but I’m happy with the race result and a good amount of points. I did the most I could. I don’t think we have the pace of Max or the Ferraris, there I’m happy to finish third.”
Max Verstappen WINS the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race
It’s back to form for Max Verstappen, who never look bothered throughout the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race as he leads all 19 laps from pole and extends his championship lead for the first time since August.
Lando Norris, his rival for the crown, had tried to run close but lost the grip of his tyres at the end of the race and locked up into Turn 1 and allowed Carlos Sainz to snatch another valuable point away, but could he get a penalty?
Charles Leclerc feels he moved under braking in Turn 15/16 and forced the Ferrari to lock up to avoid a major accident. Let’s see what the stewards make of it at the Circuit of the Americas.
Final lap: Norris bottles second place
Lando Norris is spooked by a half-move from Carlos Sainz into Turn 1 and the McLaren locks up, letting the first Ferrari straight through but now he has to defend from Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc has a look into Turn 16 and Norris moves under the brakes, is there contact or did Leclerc just have to really slam on? We don’t know but Norris manages to hold onto third by 0.716!
Lap 18/19: Norris has both Ferraris in DRS
Lando Norris now needs to turn his attention to defence as both the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are right close behind him in DRS.
He needs every point in his bid to catch Max Verstappen, who leads, in this thrilling F1 title fight.
Lap 17/19: Why have Mercedes struggled
Mercedes officials tell Sky Sports F1 that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have struggled due to the hot temperatures impacting the tyre degradation.
Perhaps that’s some short term pain for long term gain with Grand Prix qualifying and the race in cooler temperatures at the Circuit of the Americas?
Both drivers are told to keep it clean if they decide to fight each other in the final laps of this F1 Sprint Race.
Lap 16/19: Sainz close to Norris
Carlos Sainz is currently 1.2 seconds behind Lando Norris in the quest for second place meaning if he finds an extra couple of tenths then he could make a move on the McLaren.
Remember, every single point is key in this 2024 F1 title fight.
Lap 14/19: Hamilton 1.7 behind Russell
Lewis Hamilton has been catching George Russell hand over fist in recent laps and now he’s just 1.7 seconds behind his teammate.
Will we see fireworks from the Mercedes pair at the Circuit of the Americas?
Lap 13/19: Tsunoda fends off Piastri
Oscar Piastri then tries a move into Turn 12 but goes off track and has to let Yuki Tsunoda through, before he then fends the driver off into Turn 1 although he’s told to give the place back.
The RB driver is doing a good job against two much quicker cars at the moment as he runs in 10th place.
Lap 12/19: Perez fighting Tsunoda
This is arguably the fight for the 2025 Red Bull seat as Sergio Perez initially dives down the inside of Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 12 before the Japanese RB driver fights back into Turn 16.
Perez holds his line and just manages to fend off the 24-year-old, who locks up into Turn 1 and comes under pressure from Oscar Piastri instead.
Lap 12/19: Verstappen has race under control
Max Verstappen is now 2.2 seconds ahead of Lando Norris and should have this Sprint Race in the bag unless he makes a major mistake.
If he was punishing his tyres too much then he’s certainly sorted it out as he leads with seven laps to go.
Lap 11/19: Five-second penalty for Piastri
Oscar Piastri will not be scoring points in this Sprint Race as he collects a five-second time penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine off track.
Piastri is currently running in 12th, whilst Gasly is down in 14th and a few seconds back.
Lap 10/19: Leclerc mugs Russell now too
Charles Leclerc copies the exact same overtake on George Russell that Carlos Sainz did a lap earlier by going down the inside of Turn 16 at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Brit is now down to sixth and finds himself struggling to keep up with the Ferraris, his front-left tyre is finished he says.
Lap 9/19: Sainz mugs Russell
Carlos Sainz has been sitting pretty behind George Russell for some time and now decides it’s time to pass the Mercedes.
The Spaniard chooses Turn 16 once again to dive down the inside and the Ferrari is up to third as Russell’s pace falls off a cliff.
Lap 8/19: Verstappen leads under Norris pressure
Max Verstappen continues to lead by 1.4 seconds at the Circuit of the Americas as Lando Norris hotly pursues him behind. Will we see drama from the championship protagonists?
Meanwhile Fernando Alonso complains about some stern, but fair, defending from Liam Lawson and drops to 17th. Get a grip.
Lap 7/19: Norris fends off Russell assault
George Russell gets very close to Lando Norris and has a look at Turn 15/16 but the McLaren just about fends it off and the Mercedes is now a second back.
Norris’ engineer tells him he thinks Verstappen is working his rear tyres considerably harder at the moment.
Lap 6/19: Sainz passes Leclerc as Norris is suffering
Charles Leclerc’s defence of fourth place has finally come to an end as Carlos Sainz attacks his teammate again into Turn 15.
The Monegasque driver goes off track but eventually has to give it up through the rapid right hander. Sainz up to fourth, Leclerc fifth, with Lewis Hamilton close behind.
Lap 5/19: Verstappen breaks DRS
That’s very good news for Red Bull as Max Verstappen opens up a 1.4 second gap to Lando Norris behind.
Did the McLaren make an error in that last lap to drop him out of touching distance?
Lap 4/19: Perez with a huge lock up
Sergio Perez outbrakes himself at Turn 12 and very almost takes out the RB of Yuki Tsunoda ahead.
The Red Bull driver is not having a good weekend.
Lap 3/19: Leclerc wants team orders
After defending from Carlos Sainz for a couple of laps, Charles Leclerc very tactically reminds Ferrari they have to catch the cars ahead as he requests team orders.
But so far Sainz isn’t listening as e tries another move on his colleague into Turn 12 that doesn’t quite work out.
Lap 2/19: Great scrap by the Ferraris
Carlos Sainz tries to dive down the inside of his teammate, Charles Leclerc, at Turn 12 but the Monegasque star fights back with the switchback to get better traction.
Then the Spaniard tried it again a few corners later but once again, his colleague hits him with the switchback and holds his place.
They’re still really close to George Russell as Leclerc runs fourth and Sainz in fifth. Great stuff from the Ferrari pair.
Lap 1/19: Verstappen leads by 0.8
It’s a good start from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen who is quickly pushing away from Lando Norris in the lead of the race but the McLaren does have DRS to keep things interesting at COTA.
Meanwhile Nico Hulkenberg has dropped all the way down to ninth after a bad getaway, letting Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen get ahead of him.
Lap 1/19: Verstappen leads into Turn 1 as Norris gets to second
It’s a great start for Lando Norris as the McLaren instantly finds itself in second place behind Max Verstappen after a well-executed switchback into Turn 1. Game on between the championship rivals.
It’s a shocker of a start for George Russell, who has gone from second down to third and he’s under serious, serious pressure from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari behind.
Formation Lap for the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race begins
As the cars pull away to warm up their tyres, every single driver is running the same medium compound tyre.
Offering better grip than the hard tyre and longer life than then soft tyre, it’s perfect for this 19-lap Sprint Race.
Who will claim the win?
Can Max Verstappen win the 2024 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race?
Armed with upgrades, it’s a return to form for Max Verstappen as the 26-year-old claimed his first Sprint or Grand Prix pole since the Austrian GP in June.
But does the world champion think he and Red Bull can win around the Circuit of the Americas?
“I feel a bit better,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. “I think when we hit the ground running yesterday, the car was a bit more driveable and I could just drive a bit more around some of the problems.
“I hope that we are competitive in the race. The last few races qualifying wasn’t so bad in some places but then in the race we were lacking quite a bit, so I hope today we are more competitive.”
Norris taking fourth place Sprint Qualifying hard
Lando Norris is known for being very hard on himself, even criticising himself if he takes pole position but doesn’t think the lap was perfect.
So as he lines up fourth at the Circuit of the Americas and behind Max Verstappen, how is he feeling ahead of the Sprint Race? His CEO, Zak Brown, revealed his mental condition.
“It was a challenging Friday. Oscar lost his time and Lando didn’t optimise his time,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “He’s [Norris] a little grumpy with himself
“But that normally translates to an awesome race. I think if everyone put together a perfect lap though, Lewis is on pole.”
Are Mercedes the team to beat at the 2024 United States GP?
Mercedes brought a series of upgrades to the 2024 United States GP and it has already rewarded them as they line up second behind Max Verstappen by just 0.012.
So are they truly as quick as Red Bull and McLaren this weekend? Zak Brown, CEO of the latter, believes so and even believes they might be a touch beyond the championship leaders.
“I think Mercedes are the fastest,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “So they might be the team to beat this weekend.
“Anyone who thinks the championship is over or we have the dominant car, I think there are four cars that can win this weekend.”
What are the rules for the F1 Sprint?
The F1 Sprint Race at the 2024 United States Grand Prix offers an extra chance of racing for fans at the Circuit of the Americas but it comes with some unique changes to the typical race format.
For example, drivers do not have to pit. That means they will likely all choose the medium tyres and push to the end of the race, flat out, in a straight fight.
Whilst the race itself is also considerably shorter than the 56 laps of the Grand Prix. The Sprint Race will only last for 19 laps.
Lap to the grid: Oscar Piastri almost crashes!
It’s a challenging weekend so far for Oscar Piastri and the McLaren ace almost crashes on the lap to the grid, having to skip off track in order to avoid a slower moving Sauber ahead of him.
Hopefully the Australian has got that out of his system and can focus on moving forwards for the rest of the weekend.
Can George Russell win the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race?
Mercedes rebounded to form in 2024 United States GP Sprint Qualifying as George Russell’s lap was good enough for second place at the Circuit of the Americas.
So does the Brit think he can go on to claim a second victory in the 2024 season by beating Max Verstappen?
How does the grid line-up for the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race?
It’s Max Verstappen who will lead the cars away for the first time in 110 days, since the Austrian GP back in June, but where is Lando Norris?
Can the British McLaren championship contender fight back at the Circuit of the Americas and go wheel to wheel with his rival, or will he see his odds decrease ever so slightly?
Welcome to the blog for the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race
It’s Max Verstappen versus George Russell on the front row so will it be a Red Bull or a Mercedes leading into Turn 1 at the Circuit of the Americas?
Stay tuned with Total-Motorsport.com as we bring you live updates, news and reaction from the 2024 United States GP Sprint Race.
What time does the 2024 US GP Sprint Race start?
The 2024 US GP Sprint Race is scheduled to start at 1pm local time in Austin, Texas. That is one hour behind of F1 fans on US Eastern time, where the action gets underway at 2pm ET. On the US west coast, the Sprint Race begins at 11am PT.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, F1 fans in the UK and Ireland have an early evening start of 7pm. While Down Under, Australian F1 aficionados can see the action begin at 5am on Sunday morning.
Pirelli United States GP preview
Expect the 2024 United States GP to be a two-stopper at the Circuit of the Americas, known for its demand on traction zones and tyre degradation whilst the hot temperatures baking the asphalt can also play a role.
In light of that, Pirelli have bought their second-softest range of tyres to the Grand Prix to make sure cars have all the grip they need, but not so much that it becomes too easy and processionary in Austin.
