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Tyres NorthamptonMax Verstappen had a champion's drive to effectively clinch the championship with one of his best victories as Lando Norris slipped back from pole position. That summary might sound like many other Sundays in 2024, but this was far from a standard F1 Grand Prix.
You must rewind to Saturday to begin the tale of two crazy days in the sport where soaking conditions that even Pirelli's extreme Wet tyre couldn't contend with repeatedly delayed Qualifying. Although the blue-ringed grooved compound can disperse over 85 litres of standing water per second, relentless rain meant the FIA eventually postponed the session to Sunday morning. Early alarm clocks meant the on-track action began at a bleary-eyed 7:30 AM, with the race brought forward 90 minutes to avoid worsening weather.
Already carrying a five-place penalty for additional engine parts, Verstappen's day began very different from how it ended. He fell out of Q2 after Lance Stroll hit the barriers to cause a red flag, meaning he'd start the race from P17. Four further crashes had the session equalling the record for most red flags in any F1 Qualifying session. Norris took pole position but already had seen what an unpredictable day it was turning into.
Even the race start was far from normal, with Stroll crashing for the second time in four hours on the formation lap, delaying lights out. Further confusion ensued as Norris prematurely led the field round for a second formation lap after an aborted start. The Brit should've remained in his grid box, but it did allow others to line up correctly after the gap for Alex Albon's non-starting Williams caused confusion.
Norris lost the lead when the racing finally got underway. George Russell found more tyre grip in the damp conditions to steal the inside line into Turn 1. With Qualifying creating a mixed-up grid, the McLaren driver was fortunate to have slower cars behind him and not fall further behind. Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, and Liam Lawson had a super start to their Sunday to be in the top positions, and the three battled with Charles Leclerc in the fight for P3.
Verstappen had a dream opening lap at the other end of the field. With Albon not starting, Stroll out, and Carlos Sainz starting from the pit lane, the championship leader already had three fewer cars to contend with. Even so, he gained three additional positions before the end of the opening lap. A charging move on Lewis Hamilton at the start of Lap 2 put the Red Bull into the top 10 and looking fast to try for more.
Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, and Lawson were the next to fall. Verstappen found grip where others couldn't as he made overtakes into Turns 1, 4, and even 8 to reach P6 in only 11 laps. His teammate, the under-pressure Sergio Perez, had fallen from P12 to P17 by comparison. The Mexican racer spun on the first lap to drop to the back and couldn't match the sister car's performance.
Norris wasn't making any ground on his lost position either, but heavier rainfall eventually helped his cause. McLaren opted to use a high-downforce rear wing, preventing Norris from out-speeding Russell on the straights but gifting better grip in the corners. That decision paid off once the drivers began tiptoeing around during a mid-race downpour that triggered the leading two to pit. Norris outdrove the Mercedes on standing water on his fresh Intermediates out of Turn 3 to take the place. However, the pass was not for the lead.
Both Alpine drivers and Verstappen elected to stay out on the old Pirelli tyres despite the worsening conditions. Norris and Russell's pit stops had them return to the track in P4 and P5, just in time for race control to deploy the Safety Car due to the heavy rain. Ironically, Franco Colapinto ended the sole race on his home continent by crashing under the reduced speeds to trigger a red flag that changed the race and the championship.
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With all drivers able to swap tyres in the red flag stoppage, Norris and Russell's earlier pit stops were effectively voided. Ocon led the way on the restart, and the Frenchman showed genuine pace despite the inferior car to retain P1 ahead of Verstappen. Norris, on the other hand, had the first of two disastrous restarts and ran wide at Turn 4 to allow Russell back through. It wouldn't be the only position he'd lose from an unforced error.
A second Safety Car period began after Sainz joined Stroll and Colapinto for the dubious honour of crashing twice on a Grand Prix Sunday. The Spaniard hit the barriers in Qualifying and again lost control of his Ferrari on Lap 39. Any week-old Mexico City memories of victory seemed very long ago. Whatever the cumulative repair bill from São Paulo was, it'll be one of F1's highest from a single day.
The day's final restart essentially ended the 2024 championship in a single corner. Ocon couldn't keep Verstappen behind as the Dutchman bravely went for the inside line into Turn 1, completing his P17-to-P1 masterclass. Norris, however, ran wide when his McLaren slid out of control under braking and dropped behind Leclerc and Piastri to fall to P7. Although McLaren soon instructed Piastri to let his teammate by, P6 was all Norris could muster, letting Verstappen take an 18-point swing in the standings. Alpine secured P2 and P3 with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, vaulting the Enstone team up three places in the standings.
F1 exits this pan-American tripleheader after three thrilling Sundays with a three-week gap before Round 21. The final trio of grands prix begins in Las Vegas before quickly heading to Qatar and Abu Dhabi to end the season. Verstappen will clinch the title in Vegas if he outscores Norris, setting the scene for the Nevada race to see its first champion-crowning event in only the circuit's second season.