F1 US Grand Prix: Verstappen, who won the Sprint, still leads the Drivers’ Championship points table comfortably, will also start from the front of the grid.
Last Updated: 10.31 AM, Oct 20, 2024
The 2024 F1 racing season is nearing its end, with only 6 races remaining. This weekend, the action moved to Austin Texas for the Pirelli United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. The US Grand Prix is one of only 6 races that also include a Sprint ahead of qualification for race day.
Defending champion Max Verstappen managed to extend his Championship lead by winning the US Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday, and is heading into the race on Sunday from the front of the grid, albeit in second position, with Lando Norris taking pole. Verstappen still holds a 54-point lead over Norris, who is his closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship.
Ahead of Saturday’s Sprint, the calculation was that Norris would need to be ahead of Verstappen by at least 9 points in the next 6 races, including race, Sprints and bonus points (for fastest lap). It’s a tough ask, but Norris has had a good year and a fast car, so nothing can be ruled out just yet. His team, McLaren, is currently in the lead in the Constructor’s Championship with a 39-point lead over Red Bull Racing.
Norris and Verstappen are followed by an all-Ferrari second row, with Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc in 3rd and 4thposition. Rounding off the top 10 are Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez.
The Sunday race time in Austin is 2 pm, but time zone difference means that fans in India will have to tune in past midnight to catch all the action on FanCode. The official race time in India is 12.30 am on October 21.