AUSTIN — Charles Leclerc won a memorable U.S. Grand Prix, where a late time penalty demoted Lando Norris behind title rival Max Verstappen to fourth.
Norris had caught and passed Verstappen for third after a lengthy battle late in the race, but he exceeded the limits of the track while doing so.
That earned Norris a five-second penalty which meant, despite finishing on track ahead of Verstappen, he dropped behind the Red Bull driver in the final standings.
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That meant Verstappen inherited third place, moving him 57 points clear with five races and two sprint races still to go.
Ferrari claimed their second one-two of the season, after the Australian Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz in second.
While he is still mathematically in with a shot of the title, the race result has dealt a significant blow to Norris’ hopes of overturning Verstappen’s advantage.
Leclerc had gained the lead at the start, when Verstappen had aggressively forced Norris wide at Turn 1.
The two title rivals had run wide, allowing the Ferrari driver into the lead.
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