Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc led Ferrari to success in Texas. The Monegasque won the US Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday and was also able to celebrate the second double triumph of the year for the Scuderia. Teammate Carlos Sainz came second in Leclerc’s third win of the season; Ferrari last took the top two places in Australia at the end of March. Back then in the reverse order. World champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) slightly increased his lead in the world championship standings with a third place. The Dutchman crossed the finish line in fourth place behind his closest rival and pole-sitter Lando Norris, after Norris had overtaken him in the final phase of the race. The McLaren driver received a five-second penalty from the race stewards for his illegal overtaking maneuver in which he left the track and only finished fourth. Mercedes debacle in Austin “Now being on the podium at the end is for “We have a great result,” said Verstappen, who remained vague when asked about Norris’ overtaking maneuver in turn twelve: “I have my opinion, I don’t need to express it here, the stewards are doing their job. It’s a race from which we learned a lot.”For Mercedes, the 300th race since the brand’s factory return to Formula 1 at the beginning of the 2010 season was a debacle. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton botched the qualification, started from 17th place and ended up in the gravel in the third lap. George Russell had to start from the pit lane and earned a five-second penalty in the process. It was a good day for Nico Hülkenberg. The Rhinelander finished eighth and scored in the points. Verstappen had won the sprint safely on Saturday and felt “like old times”. The success, which earned him two points over Norris, also proved important for morale. Because he confirmed that Red Bull’s increase in form in the last two races will continue after the autumn break. “We’re back to the music, driving on equal terms,” said Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko after qualifying, in which Verstappen had to hand over pole position to Norris. In front of the Ferraris, the big World Championship rivals shared the first row of the grid , which caused additional explosiveness on the Circuit of the Americas: Turn one at the end of the long slope from the start and finish is treacherous, the apex and corner entrance are difficult to see from the cockpit and the pole is not necessarily an advantage. This was confirmed after the The traffic lights go out. Norris started too passively, and Verstappen promptly moved next to his World Cup rival on the inside. The duo entered the first corner side by side and were pushed far out in a close duel. Leclerc, who started from fourth place, used this to his advantage and took the lead. Verstappen fended off two attacks from Sainz with difficulty in the first two laps, Leclerc drove away from the front and significantly increased the lead.More on the topicVerstappen was further pushed into the defensive, an undercut from Sainz made the situation worse for the world champion. After the overdue tire change, the Dutchman lost his position. Norris stayed on the track significantly longer and hunted Verstappen with fresher tires. Norris set fastest times in the meantime, the defending champion struggled with his rubbers.
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