Monaco’s Charles Leclerc delivered a strong late-race charge to finish second at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, overtaking Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the closing stages to secure another podium for Ferrari. But victory in Austin belonged to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who moved to the brink of becoming Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion.
Starting fourth on the grid at the Circuit of the Americas, Leclerc made an aggressive opening on Soft tyres, briefly challenging Verstappen before settling into third behind the Red Bull and race leader Antonelli.
Ferrari adopted a two-stop strategy for both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who started fifth, while Antonelli made a single stop and controlled the 56-lap race from the front.
The differing strategies created an exciting final phase, with Leclerc and Hamilton benefiting from fresher tyres as they chased down their rivals.
Leclerc fights his way onto the podium
Leclerc’s race included an early battle with Verstappen and an overtake on Mercedes’ George Russell before the pit-stop sequence reshuffled the field.
The Monegasque briefly inherited the lead when Verstappen made his second stop, but Antonelli soon reclaimed the position.
In the closing stages, Leclerc began making up ground, overtaking McLaren’s Lando Norris before passing Verstappen to secure second place.
He crossed the finish line 13.078 seconds behind Antonelli, with Verstappen completing the podium just over four seconds further back.
“It was a fun race and I really enjoyed it, particularly the start and the battle with Max on lap 1, and later on with Lando and Max again,” Leclerc said afterwards. “Our pace was quite strong, and our strategy was good, but it was not enough for the win today.”
The result marked Leclerc’s sixth podium of the season and the 56th of his Formula 1 career.
The Ferrari driver was nevertheless encouraged by the team’s recent developments.
“We brought good upgrades to the car and have been going in a direction that I quite like. It makes me feel confident with the car so I’m optimistic,” he said. “It’s all about optimising what we have for the upcoming races, with the target of converting our progress to a win.”
Antonelli on the verge of historic championship
While Leclerc celebrated another podium, the wider championship story belonged to 20-year-old Antonelli.
The Mercedes driver started from pole position and secured his ninth victory of the season, extending his Drivers’ Championship lead to 123 points over teammate George Russell, who finished eighth.
Hamilton’s fourth-place finish also kept his mathematical championship hopes alive, delaying Antonelli’s coronation for at least another week.
With five races remaining and 125 points still available, Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish or better at the Mexico City Grand Prix to secure his first world championship and become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history.
Leclerc, meanwhile, sits fifth in the Drivers’ Championship on 233 points, just nine behind second-placed Russell, leaving him firmly in contention for a higher championship finish.
Formula 1 heads directly to Mexico City for the next race on Sunday 1st November, where Ferrari will look to turn its improving performance into another podium — and potentially a victory.
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Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre