Here’s Giles Richards’ race report.

Constructors’ Championship

• 1. McLaren 544pts

• 2. Red Bull 504

• 3. Ferrari 496,

• 4. Mercedes GP 344

• 5. Aston Martin 86

• 6. Haas F1 38

• 7. RB 36

• 8. Williams 17

• 9. Alpine 13

• 10 Kick Sauber 0

• Drivers’ Championship standings

• 1 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 354pts

• 2 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 297

• 3 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 275

• 4 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 247

• 5 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 215

• 6 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 177

• 7 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 167

• 8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 150

• 9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 62

• 10 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 29

• 11 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 24

• 12 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 22

• 13 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 12

• 14 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) RB 12

• 15 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 8

• 16 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 8

• 17 Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 7

• 18 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 5

• 19 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 5

• 20 Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 2

• 21 Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Sauber 0

• 22 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams

• 23 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Sauber 0

The fastest lap went to Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 1min 37.611secs. What a talent he looks. Will he get a drive for 2025?

Max Verstappen speaks: “It was a tough battle, to be on the podium is a good result. I have my opinion but I don’t need to say it here, I’ll let the stewards do their thing.”

Charles Leclerc speaks: “Very happy, it hasn’t been an easy weekend until now I have been struggling with the feeling in the car but I had the confidence in the race and the feeling was better.”

The Monegasque and Italian anthems ring out as Leclerc takes the plaudits.

Rest of the top ten.

• 6. Russell

• 7. Perez

• 8. Hulkenberg

• 9. Lawson

• 10. Colapinto

Interesting take.

US GP top five

• 1. Charles Leclerc

• 2. Carlos Sainz

• 3 Max Verstappen

• 4. Lando Norris

• 5. Oscar Piastri

“A hard race,” says Verstappen, Christian Horner offering him credit for getting a podium finish. He’s still complaining about Norris, who is aghast at the five-seconds and then suggests he should have dropped behind and then gone again.

55/56 Leclerc’s progress to winning has been serene. Ocon puts in a fastest lap to steal a vital point from one of the contenders. Red Bull say Norris has gone over his track limits. That will mean he drops down.

54/56 Norris was off the track but Verstappen gave him nowhere to go. The stewards are looking. Five-seconds or ten? Or none? Verstappen is raging. Again.

53/56 One for the stewards, and one for the VAR. Both drivers plead innocence to their teams. And while that continues, they almost come to blows again.

52/56 It briefly seems as if Norris can get past, the crowd roars, but Verstappen always seems to find a way to power away from the bends. Verstappen forces Norris off, but Norris comes back and goes ahead.

51/56 Verstappen is schooling Norris in defensive tactics. Norris is going right at it, to his credit.

50/56 Norris needs to take more risks but his car doesn’t quite have the purchase. As Verstappen seems to falter, so does he.

49/56 Leclerc clears backmarkers to stay away from Sainz. Norris keeps seeing a gap and then finds it closed off. Bottas is a backmarker in the way, but steps aside.

48/56 Franco Colapinto has set the fastest lap in the Williams. Good to have someone like him around. Norris and Verstappen continue in their duel. Verstappen maintains the racing line.

47/56 Norris keeps going, knocking on the door. What a race, what driving from Verstappen. Norris pecking away, but not getting it done on this lap.

46/56 Norris getting closer. Can DRS be engaged? Verstappen throwing everything at it. The gap is down to mere metres.

45/56 This is racing now. Norris tries to edge closer. Verstappen is forced to be defensive. Russell goes up to seventh, and now gives chase to Perez.

44/56 Here comes the battle between Norris and Verstappen. He tries to claw back some of the 54-point lead the champion has.

43/56 The McLaren garage look on intently as their man Norris chases down Verstappen. Russell sets a fastest lap, and looks on course to score points from the pit lane.

42/56 Tsunoda spun, but not off, he’s down in 14th. Way up ahead, Norris is chasing down Verstappen, just 1.4 seconds between them.

41/56 Russell pits and takes on that five-second penalty, and he comes out eighth. Franco Colapinto and Magnussen go off on a battle, but the Argentine holds him off. This is a fine battle.

40/56 Charles Leclerc sets a new fastest lap just when it seemed Sainz might fancy giving chase. Franco Colapinto is the last to pit, on lap 40. He comes out ahead of Magnussen in 12th.

39/56 After that shoddy start, Norris has chance to make amends by passing Verstappen. Magnussen, back to 13th, was demanded to pit. Liam Lawson is in 10th. He’s full of racing.

38/56 Norris has the fastest lap, and is under three seconds short of Verstappen. He can see his target.

37/56 Liam Lawson pits, and is geared up to battle for a top ten place. He’s ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, his teammate. He’s in 12th.

36/56 Verstappen: “These tyres are no good. I can’t brake, I can’t do anything.” He’s raging. The calm of pre-race is forgotten.

35/56 Franco Colapinto is keeping Perez at bay. It’s not gone well for Perez, this season. Norris’s speed is coming to the fore. He’s flying along, so much quicker than Verstappen. With much of the race to go. 20 laps, in fact.

34/56 There’s 11 seconds between the top three now. Leclerc and Sainz in command here. Their pace is too much for the Red Bull today. Verstappen will have to wait longer for that first win since June.

33/56 Oscar Piastri’s pit is slow. But the plan is to be quick at the end of the race when the fuel load is far lower.

32/56 “Time to pit,” says Zach from McLaren. Norris goes in, and Leclerc takes the lead. Piastri will stay out until the next pit, presumably. Norris is in fifth, Russell sixth (but with a five second penalty) and the flying Kiwi, Lawson is in seventh.

31/56 Until those McLarens pit, the race will not take fullest shape. Piastri is being chased by Leclerc, who isn’t prepared to wait for his opponent to pit. He passes with ease, and takes second. Norris’s pit is imminent.

30/56 Norris is told his team don’t want to pull the trigger too early. “A Germany situation,” apparently. Some odd code words being used.

29/56 “More phase 1 brake release,” Ferrari tells a dumbfounded Sainz.

28/56 Norris and Piastri are making hay on their tyres, lapping as quick as Verstappen. But when to pit?

27/56 Leclerc goes into the pits and on the hard tyres, and will come out behind the McLarens and ahead of Sainz. They are yet to pit. Is this a one-stop strategy? It looks like it from Ferrari.

26/56 Lando Norris was catching up Verstappen, who pits, and then Sainz goes ahead of him into fourth. The undercut leaves Leclerc leading with McLaren, yet to pit, ahead of Sainz. Norris is motoring nicely.

25/56 “My tyres are really bad now,” says Verstappen. Ferrari are in a position to pull a fast on him.

24/56 Sainz, on those hard tyres, sets off on the fastest lap so far.

23/56 Franco Colapinto, the youngster, overtakes Fernando Alonso, the veteran. McLaren are trying to work out their pace on the tyres in chasing down Verstappen. Leclerc says “I don’t want to be under pressure” in regards to Ferrari’s strategy.

22/56 Sainz goes in, putting hard tyres on his Ferrari. He comes out in fifth, ahead of Perez. The McLarens are ahead in his road to chasing down Verstappen.

21/56 Most of the action is down the field, so serene has been Leclerc’s progress since that start.

20/56 Is a pit undercut in the offing? Sainz might be attempting it with Verstappen who is sluggish on his current tyres, and with that mystery problem.

19/56 The battle is on for eighth, Tsunoda and Hulkenberg before Tsunado pits. Leclerc is getting even more clear – eight seconds.

18/56 Leclerc is seven seconds clear of Verstappen; the Ferraris have Max in a sandwich.

17/56 Liam Lawson is chasing down Hulkenberg for 10th place, and the hapless Perez for ninth. Toto Wolff’s verdict on that Russell penalty is “total joke”.

16/56 George Russell gets a penalty for passing Bottas – five seconds. No luck for the Mercs this weekend. “What?!” is the reply from George.

15/56 Hugh Molloy gets in touch: “For heaven’s sake, Lando, just let him hit you. Verstappen has more to lose, he’s going to try and shove you off guaranteed, simply stand your ground! Totally bottled it.”

Yes, far too hesitant.

14/56 George Russell, in a hard tyre, is making up places, into 13th. Verstappen is told there is a problem with his car; it will be sorted when he goes in to pit.

13/56 This heat must be hard on the tyres. Lots of talk over what the strategy might be. Lando Norris says that his tyres are fine but his car’s pace is not good enough.

12/56 Leclerc continues to hold that fastest lap. Liam Lawson passes Alonso and into 11th, the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. He’s touted for Red Bull next season.

11/56 George Russell is up to 15th, having started in that pit lane. Sainz tells his team things are better. He longer smells fuel. Phew. His Ferrari is way ahead of Norris, 2.5 seconds.

10/56 Leclerc leads, Verstappen second, Sainz losing pace, with the McLarens behind. Zhou Guanyu is the latest to spin. “I don’t know what happened there,” he tells his team.

9/56 “No power on the exit of the corners,” says Sainz. He smells fuel in the car. He’s dropping off, and Norris can close. That’s bad news for Ferrari.

8/56 Is this a one-stop race? Seems a few are protecting their tyres.

7/56 Norris is struggling to keep up with the leading three. Piastri, his teammate is also sluggish. Problems for McLaren?

6/56 The Merc now removed from the track, the safety car pulls aside. Leclerc and Verstappen go at it, right from the gun. No DRS on this lap. Liam Lawson, who started 19th, is in 12th. Nice driving, young man. Leclerc edging ahead of the Red Bull. He sets a fastest lap.

5/56 First safety car since Canada, and the field is closed up. Albon has pitted after his prang. Lando and his McLaren team want a stewards’ on the start. Good luck. That won’t be happening. “Same as Budapest,” says Norris. Verstappen did seem to go off the track and hold his position

4/56 An eventful start, and Norris will be rueing his lack of aggression at the start. In the pack. Ocon and Albon clashed. That hill start produced carnage. The Hamilton crash looks like he lost it. “Sorry, guys,” he says. No rear grip, it seems.

2/56 Huge whoops from the crowd. Leclerc has the afterburners on, he’s a full second ahead of Verstappen. Sainz is after Verstappen too. Ferrari in control here

OK, here we go. The formation lap begins. “Damn, this far back,” says Lewis Hamilton, back in 17th. Mercedes have had a shocker in qualifying with George Russell in the pit lane. Lando Norris on pole leads out the field. The two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc are second on the grid.

Max Verstappen: “Yesterday was an indication it’s been a bit better already. The sprint should replicate to the main race. Winning would make life a lot easier. That’s always been the aim.”

AC/DC’s Thunderstruck is playing too loud for the telecasters. Great record.

Martin Brundle is on his pit walk. A quick chat with Fernando Alonso. “We start seventh but are not the seventh fastest,” says the veteran. Pierre Gasly: “The team did a very good job. The car seems to have come alive.” Kevin Magnussen, in the top 10 in the Haas: “Seems the car is liking this track. It’s great to be this competitive. Every race in F1 is a gift.”

The hill at the race start has seen the wind dropping. Martin talks to Gabby Douglas, the Olympic gold medallist. She’s a Lewis Hamilton fan and hopes to meet him later. Mondo Duplantis is also there. “I like adrenaline…just having a good time.”

Gordon Ramsay is there, seeming a little amped. No swearwords, though. And here comes the national anthem. The stadium announcer sounds robotic, like a talking elevator. The Stars and the Stripes rings out choral style. None of your vocal histrionics here though some natty descant work. It reminds of a 1960s Disney film.

In the crowd, there are visible cowboy hats.

The weather report from Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of the Americas is that it’s hot and sunny, 27 degrees C. Bright blues skies. What effect might that have on tyres?

Bad news for Mercedes: George Russell starts from the pit lane.

Revised starting grid:

• 1. Lando Norris

• 2. Max Verstappen

• 3. Carlos Sainz

• 4. Charles Leclerc

• 5. Oscar Piastri

• 6. Pierre Gasly

• 7. Fernando Alonso

• 8. Kevin Magnussen

• 9. Sergio Perez

• 10. Yuki Tsunoda

• 11. Nico Hulkenberg

• 12. Esteban Ocon

• 13. Lance Stroll

• 14. Alex Albon

• 15. Franco Colapinto

• 16. Valtteri Bottas

• 17. Lewis Hamilton

• 18. Zhou Guanyu

• 19. Liam Lawson*

Pit lane. George Russell**

Report on that Saturday sprint race, too.

And in the garages, too.

Before any running began on Friday the FIA confirmed it was looking into complaints that Red Bull may have been gaining an advantage by using a device that allowed them to adjust the bib, also known as the tea tray – the front of the floor of the car – after qualifying to achieve a better race setup, when regulations forbid changes to the car under conditions.

It’s been getting tetchy in the mind games stakes.

Giles Richards all over the detail in previewing the final six races of the F1 season.

As things stand Norris and McLaren have the quickest car on the grid in the MCL38. More importantly, and key to Norris’s hopes, is what a stable platform it provides across a variety of circuits and how swiftly the team are able to dial it into local conditions such that it is up to pace early in the weekend.

The starting grid positions:

• 1. Lando Norris

• 2. Max Verstappen

• 3. Carlos Sainz

• 4. Charles Leclerc

• 5. Oscar Piastri

• 6. George Russell

• 7. Pierre Gasly

• 8. Fernando Alonso

• 9. Kevin Magnussen

• 10. Sergio Perez

• 11. Yuki Tsunoda

• 12. Nico Hulkenberg

• 13. Esteban Ocon

• 14. Lance Stroll

• 15. Alex Albon

• 16. Franco Colapinto

• 17. Valtteri Bottas

• 18. Lewis Hamilton

• 19. Zhou Guanyu

• 20. Liam Lawson* (back of grid)