With the second day of the US Grand Prix still underway, Max Verstappen has announced that he won’t go down in the championship fight easily after winning the Sprint Race — his first race win since June. The reigning world champion had a convincing victory after starting from the pole and leading the entire 19 laps.
Title rival Lando Norris, on the other hand, could not do much to challenge for the win, despite making a strong start and gaining two positions to reach P2. He later lost a position to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz after locking up his front tires.
Despite that, and the 3.8-second gap Verstappen had to Sainz in P2, McLaren boss Andrea Stella stated that Ferrari would be the favorite to win the US Grand Prix on Sunday.
“I definitely think Ferrari looks like one of the fastest on new tires. They had a couple of issues yesterday and today in the Sprint they looked like the most convincing car. So I think they are the favorites for tomorrow’s race,” he said to Sky Sports.
Sainz has passed Norris for P2! pic.twitter.com/RcLD1xh5qD
— The Race (@wearetherace) October 19, 2024
Ferrari was indeed chasing McLaren, and in the closing laps of the race, Charles Leclerc was rapidly gaining on Norris. Therefore, Stella is right to be cautious about Ferrari’s performance on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the qualifying session has yet to start. If the McLaren cars can secure positions ahead of Ferrari in the classification, they may be able to maintain their advantage with strategic calls. Norris, however, might find himself in trouble before that happens.
Norris might get penalized before qualifying
At the time of writing, Norris was under investigation by the FIA for allegedly moving under braking in the closing stages of the Sprint. The complaint was quickly raised by Leclerc after Norris made an ‘unorthodox move‘ to defend his position.
Reportedly, the stewards will speak with both drivers before making a decision regarding Norris’s potential punishment. If Norris is penalized, it is likely that his Sprint Race result will be affected, resulting in a loss of six points from his P3 finish.
This would significantly impact his standing against Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship. Therefore, it is more crucial than ever for Norris to secure pole position and beat the Dutchman on Sunday.
Currently, the gap after the Sprint Race stands at 54 points, which would increase to 60 if the ruling does not favor Norris.
