Max Verstappen ended his winless run to convert his pole position into victory at Saturday’s sprint race in the United States and extend his championship lead over Lando Norris by two points.
Verstappen led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 3.8 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who moved past Norris on the final lap.
Norris hung on to third, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc. George Russell started second but finished only fifth.
Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the other Mercedes.
Follow live updates from the United States Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Qualifying in Austin starts at 11pm (BST)
- Max Verstappen won the US GP sprint race; Sainz 2nd; Norris 3rd
- FINAL LAP! Norris loses second place to Carlos Sainz
- STANDINGS: Verstappen extended his lead in the championship with his sprint win
- US GP PREVIEW: How Trump and Harris revealed F1’s true value
A reminder of the start times for the remainder of the Austin weekend:
21:34
Kieran Jackson
All times BST
Saturday 19 October
- Qualifying: 11pm
Sunday 20 October
- Race: 8pm
TOP-8 IN US GRAND PRIX SPRINT
20:17
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen (8 points)
2. Carlos Sainz (7 points)
3. Lando Norris (6 points)
4. Charles Leclerc (5 points)
5. George Russell (4 points)
6. Lewis Hamilton (3 points)
7. Kevin Magnussen (2 points)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (1 point)
Lewis Hamilton and F1 are desperate for Africa return – but these obstacles must be overcome
21:48
Kieran Jackson
Formula One wants to return. Lewis Hamilton insists F1 cannot continue to ignore it. But after 31 years away, the sport still can’t thrash out a route back into the only viable continent (sorry Antarctica) it fails to race in: Africa.
It was 1993 the last time the “Mother Continent” hosted an F1 grand prix. That was at Kyalami, 20 miles north of Johannesburg, as Williams driver Alain Prost won the 27th version of the South African Grand Prix.
Rather obviously, it is difficult to claim the full veracity of the competition “Formula 1 World Championship” while a record 24-race calendar does not actually include the entire world and its continents.
But F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has made no secret of his desire to add an African race to the schedule, amid an opening set of talks with Rwandan officials last month.
However, is Rwanda the only option? South Africa has come close in recent years, too. And what are the major obstacles? The Independent takes a look at all the potential locations F1 could venture to in Africa.
Driver Standings after US GP sprint
21:20
Kieran Jackson
The gap between the top two is now 54 points...
1. Max Verstappen - 339 points
2. Lando Norris - 285 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 250 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 237 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 197 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 177 points
7. George Russell - 159 points
8. Sergio Perez - 144 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 25 points
11. Lance Stroll - 24 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Alex Albon - 12 points
14. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
15. Kevin Magnussen - 8 points
16. Pierre Gasly - 8 points
17. Ollie Bearman - 7 points
18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
19. Franco Colapinto - 4 points
20. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
Martin Brundle insists there is ‘no smoking gun’ in Red Bull F1 bib device saga
21:00
Kieran Jackson
Martin Brundle believes there is “no smoking gun” for Red Bull as their ‘bib’ device saga continues at the US Grand Prix in Austin on Friday.
Full quotes below:
SPRINT RACE REPORT: Max Verstappen ends frustrating winless run with sprint success at US Grand Prix
20:40
Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen ended his winless run to convert his pole position into victory at Saturday’s sprint race in the United States and extend his championship lead over Lando Norris by two points.
Verstappen led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 3.8 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who moved past Norris on the final lap.
Norris hung on to third, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc. George Russell started second but finished only fifth. Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the other Mercedes.
Full report below:
F1 US Grand Prix: George Russell, after finishing fifth in the sprint
20:28
Kieran Jackson
“Front tyres, I spoke with Lewis after the race, he had no rear tyres left - so we’re missing something.
“We need to get on top of these tyres, it’s the first time we ran on the medium tyres.
“It’s only the sprint race.”
F1 US Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, after winning the sprint...
20:06
Kieran Jackson
“It was not too bad, feels a bit like old times. Very happy with today, for us finally we’re racing again. Now we can do our own race and we have good pace.”
F1 US Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz, after finishing second..
19:55
Kieran Jackson
“They were fun battles, a good sprint. A lot going on, towards the end I was struggling with the tyres. We made it stick into turn one, it was a fun one!
“It’s encouraging to see for tomorrow we have a chance. For qualifying, our car is not in the best place.”
"It was a fun one"
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
Carlos enjoyed his P2 in the Sprint pic.twitter.com/1FTP67WC58
F1 US Grand Prix: Lando Norris, who finished third...
19:47
Kieran Jackson
“It was a good race, I’m pretty happy with how things ended up. I thought I could hand on to second, my front tyres were completely finished.
“Disappointing end but happy with the race result, good amount of points.
“Today was a good start, good first corner. I did the most I could, we don’t have the pace on Max or the Ferraris.”
"My front tyres were completely finished, there wasn't a lot I could do!" ❌
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
A "happy" Lando on claiming P3 in the Sprint ⚡ pic.twitter.com/B7w7e1vssR
F1 US Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins the sprint race!
19:36
Kieran Jackson
Verstappen wins by 3.8 seconds!
Carlos Sainz takes second, while Lando Norris holds onto third from Charles Leclerc!
5-8: Russell, Hamilton, Magnussen, Hulkenberg
Norris and Leclerc were so close to touching in the final sector!
But a big win for Verstappen, who extends his lead in the championship from 52 points to 54 points!
F1 US Grand Prix: Final lap! (Lap 19/19)
19:34
Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz has taken second place from Lando Norris!
Norris locked up at turn 1 on the final lap - and Norris drops to third!
Can he hold off Leclerc now?!
F1 US Grand Prix: Norris under pressure! (Lap 18/19)
19:33
Kieran Jackson
Two laps remaining and Carlos Sainz now has DRS on Lando Norris - he’s 0.8 seconds behind!
Charles Leclerc also has DRS on his team-mate Sainz... should be a dramatic finish!
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Magnussen, Hulkenberg
F1 US Grand Prix: Verstappen extends his lead (Lap 15/19)
19:28
Kieran Jackson
Verstappen’s lead is now 2.2 seconds - it looks like he’s got the sprint win wrapped up!
Norris, in second, looks safe with seven points as Leclerc trails by 1.3 seconds.
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Magnussen, Hulkenberg
F1 US Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri receives a penalty (Lap 12/19)
19:22
Kieran Jackson
The McLaren - now in 12th - gets a five-second penalty for forcing Pierre Gasly off track.
A fair call. It was overly aggressive by the Aussie at turn 12.
F1 US Grand Prix: Russell continues to drop off (Lap 11/19)
19:21
Kieran Jackson
Charles Leclerc now takes fourth place from George Russell coming out of turn 12!
Russell: “My front left is toast!”
Russell has dropped from second to fifth!
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Magnussen, Hulkenberg
F1 US Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz takes third place (Lap 10/19)
19:20
Kieran Jackson
Russell is struggling now and Sainz takes third place, with great traction in that Ferrari!
Can Sainz catch Lando?!
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Russell, Leclerc, Hamilton, Magnussen, Hulkenberg
Carlos POUNCING on George pic.twitter.com/ecKhi5M55b
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
F1 US Grand Prix: Norris slowly closing the gap to Verstappen (Lap 10/19)
19:19
Kieran Jackson
OK, so now the pace is coming to Lando Norris.
George Russell behind him has dropped way off - 1.6 seconds - and Norris is now 1.3 seconds off Max Verstappen.
Will he have enough time? Over halfway through the sprint race now...
F1 US Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz overtakes Charles Leclerc (Lap 7/19)
19:15
Kieran Jackson
Sainz wins the war!
He divebombs down the inside and Leclerc has to go off-track...
Sainz takes fourth!
“Let’s go and get them guys,” he says.
Meanwhile, Norris does brilliantly to defend Russell at the end of the back straight - and keeps second for now!
It means the gap to Verstappen is now two seconds...
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Magnussen, Tsunoda
F1 US Grand Prix: Norris now outside of DRS to Verstappen (Lap 6/19)
19:13
Kieran Jackson
Superior pace from Red Bull - or is Norris just conserving his medium tyres?
Either way, the gap between Verstappen and Norris is now 1.2 seconds - and George Russell is just half-a-second behind Norris in third.
Top-8: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Magnussen
F1 US Grand Prix: Leclerc and Sainz fighting! (Lap 4/19)
19:09
Kieran Jackson
Brilliant on track combat between the Ferraris, but Leclerc keeps fourth after a few changes of position!
At the front, Verstappen is 0.7 seconds ahead of Norris - so the McLaren will have DRS here!
3-8: Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton, Magnussen, Tsunoda
Sergio Perez, who started 11th, only up to 10th so far...
F1 US Grand Prix: LIGHTS OUT!
19:06
Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen holds the lead after a long wait at the lights - but Lando Norris takes second place from George Russell... just!
The McLaren driver needed some bravery there to hold his land down the inside heading into turn 3 - but he keeps second!
Russell down to third, but being heavily challenged by Charles Leclerc in fourth!
Exhilarating start!
WE ARE UNDERWAY IN AUSTIN!
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 19, 2024
Lando is on the move - already up to P2! ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/iCDtgzrJRM
F1 US Grand Prix: Formation lap!
19:02
Kieran Jackson
So Max Verstappen leads the other 18 cars (with Alex Albon in the pit-lane) around the track for the formation lap at the newly resurfaced Circuit of the Americas!
This sprint race will be 19 laps - can the likes of Lando Norris challenge for the lead?!
Who will hold the lead heading into turn one?
F1 US Grand Prix: A reminder of the starting grid for the sprint
18:58
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Lando Norris
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Yuki Tsunoda
10. Franco Colapinto
11. Sergio Perez
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Lance Stroll
14. Fernando Alonso
15. Liam Lawson
16. Oscar Piastri
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Zhou Guanyu
Pit lane. Alex Albon
F1 US Grand Prix: Sprint coming right up!
18:57
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then!
The fourth sprint race of the season is about to get underway under the baking sun in Austin, Texas.
Can anyone get a jump on pole-sitter Max Verstappen at the start?
F1 US Grand Prix: McLaren’s Lando Norris, who starts P4...
18:55
Kieran Jackson
“I don’t think we have the pace at the minute, we need to move forward and that’s what we’ll try and do.
“We’re still doing a good job, but layout of track isn’t suiting us and we have good competition.”
F1 US Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, who starts on pole...
18:54
Kieran Jackson
“I can drive a bit more around the problems, today I hope we’re competitive in the race. In the race, we’ve been lacking quite a bit - I hope today we’re more competitive.”
F1 US Grand Prix: Gordon Ramsey present in Austin today!
18:53
Kieran Jackson
The famous chef is a huge F1 fan and he’s present at the Circuit of the Americas today!
F1 US Grand Prix: Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, who starts 8th...
18:51
Kieran Jackson
“It feels hot, which changes the balance of the car. Hopefully we can get some points in the sprint as well as tomorrow.
“We’ll see what we can do, we look decent compared to the RB.”
Odds for the sprint race!
18:49
Kieran Jackson
US Grand Prix sprint - winner
- Max Verstappen - 4/7
- George Russell - 4/1
- Charles Leclerc - 4/1
- Lando Norris - 8/1
- Carlos Sainz - 33/1
- Lewis Hamilton - 100/1
- Nico Hulkenberg - 200/1
- Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez - 250/1
- Yuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen - 500/1
- Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto - 1000/1
F1 US Grand Prix: A reminder of the starting grid for US Grand Prix sprint race:
18:49
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Lando Norris
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Yuki Tsunoda
10. Franco Colapinto
11. Sergio Perez
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Lance Stroll
14. Fernando Alonso
13. Lance Stroll
15. Liam Lawson
16. Oscar Piastri
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Valtteri Bottas
29. Zhou Guanyu
Pit lane. Alex Albon
F1 US Grand Prix: Sprint race!
18:45
Kieran Jackson
Welcome to live coverage of the sprint race in Austin with The Independent!
Max Verstappen starts on pole position with Mercedes’ George Russell alongside him in second.
Lando Norris starts down in fourth, with Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
We’re just 15 minutes from lights out under the beating sun in Austin!
What is the starting grid for US Grand Prix sprint race?
18:42
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Lando Norris
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Yuki Tsunoda
10. Franco Colapinto
11. Sergio Perez
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Lance Stroll
14. Fernando Alonso
13. Lance Stroll
15. Liam Lawson
16. Oscar Piastri
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Valtteri Bottas
29. Zhou Guanyu
Pit lane. Alex Albon
F1 US Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton, after qualifying P7 for the sprint today:
18:32
Kieran Jackson
“I got unlucky with the yellow flag. It is what it is, four-tenths up.
Is that a pole gone begging? “Yep. The team has made a step with the car, the upgrade has clearly worked. It’s been a tough slog for everyone. Tomorrow we have another chance.
“We made changes to the car, it’s always a bit of a gamble. As soon as I got out the car, night and day different.”
NEW: Alex Albon to start from the pit-lane
18:28
Kieran Jackson
The Williams driver - who qualified in 18th - will start the sprint race from the pit-lane following setup changes made to his car.
