Live: F1 United States Grand Prix
53/56: Norris is clear of Leclerc
Lando Norris has got well clear of Charles Leclerc.
A great drive from the Brit to claim second place.
51/56: Norris catches Leclerc and takes second
Lando Norris was very close to Charles Leclerc on the start-finish straight.
Norris goes for a move down the inside.
The McLaren driver gets ahead, but Leclerc completes the switch-back to hold onto second.
Norris is still close, and he will have another opportunity at the end of the next DRS straight.
Norris goes for the move on the inside, AND IT STICKS.
Lando Norris is up to second.
50/56: Norris has DRS
Here we go.
Charles Leclerc was able to fend of Lando Norris on lap 50, but the McLaren driver is within one second of the Ferrari.
We have a five-lap battle for second place.
49/56: Norris is starting to claw back the deficit to Leclerc
McLaren told Lando Norris to keep calm and he would be able to launch one more attack.
Well, here it is.
Norris has closed the gap from 2.7 seconds down to 1.1 seconds in just a few laps.
Norris will be in DRS range very soon.
47/56: Lando appears to settle for third
“Yeah, I’m just slow.”
That is what Lando Norris has said over his radio.
His team is reassuring him that if he can get the tyres cool, he may be able to launch one more attack on Charles Leclerc for second place.
There are solid gaps between every driver in the top 10.
It looks like any overtaking will come from a mistake in the final 10 laps.
43/56: Drivers struggling with tyres at the end of the grand prix
Max Verstappen has a 6.6-second lead.
But he is not thrilled about his tyres.
“I’m just suddenly sliding a lot,” he tells his radio.
Lando Norris, in third, has been told to back off from Charles Leclerc to keep his tyres cool.
Oscar Piastri is 7.2 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, and 3.1 seconds ahead of George Russell.
40/56: Norris worried about tyres
Lando Norris was trying to attack Charles Leclerc.
But has he used whatever was left of its life?
“Yeah man, tyres are gone.”
39/ 56: Norris hunting Leclerc for second, Piastri down in fifth
We saw this about 30 minutes ago — Charles Leclerc defending second place from Lando Norris.
Norris is in DRS range on the used soft tyres.
Leclerc is on the medium compound, which were new when he had it some 17 laps ago.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is six seconds adrift of Lewis Hamilton.
It appears Piastri’s best result today would be fifth.
37/56: The top six after the pit stops
Here is what the order is with 20 laps remaining
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc (+6.7)
- Lando Norris (+1.3)
- Lewis Hamilton (+8.6)
- Oscar Piastri (+5.3)
- George Russell (+3.1)
35/56: Bearman goes for a spin
Back in the field, Oliver Bearman has gone for a spin.
The Haas driver went for a move on Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda for seventh.
Bearman got squeezed out, and is claiming that Tsunoda moved under braking.
Bearman spins, Tsunoda drives off, and Nico Hulkenberg is now up to seventh.
33/56: Max Verstappen pits, so does George Russell
Red Bull produces a lovely stop. Verstappen is stationary for 2.6 seconds.
He comfortably comes out in the lead.
Mercedes brings in George Russell. It is a nice stop, 2.3 seconds stationary, and Russell emerges back on track.
Oscar Piastri’s advantage over Russell in the battle between fifth and sixth is 4.5 seconds.
32/56: Norris pits Norris, and it was slow
It is another slow stop for McLaren.
Lando Norris was stationary for 3.8 seconds. It’s not their worst of the year, but it is almost two seconds slower than they wanted.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is back into second place.
31/56: Ferrari pits Lewis Hamilton
It is not the quickest stop from Ferrari. Hamilton was stationary for 2.8 seconds.
What was a 5-second gap, is now 3.5 to Piastri.
30/56: Piastri pits for used soft tyres
McLaren has pitted Oscar Piastri.
He comes in and has used soft tyres bolted onto his McLaren.
All the front runners only have used softs remaining.
Piastri will need to babysit thiese tyres to make it to the end.
28/56: Half race distance completed
Max Verstappen leads Lando Norris by over 10 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton is third, six seconds off Norris, and Oscar Piastri is a further four seconds back.
Mercedes driver George Russell is fifth, and is keeping Piastri’s attention.
Charles Leclerc is the only one of the front runners who has pitted. Leclerc is running seventh.
27/56: Piastri is nine seconds behind Norris
Oscar Piastri is currently fourth, but that is due to Charles Leclerc pitting.
The Australian is nine seconds behind his nearest title challenger, and teammate, Lando Norris.
Piastri has struggled for pace this weekend, and he will need something special in the final half of this race to claw back the deficit.
24/56: Verstappen with a big lead, Piastri saving tyres
Max Verstappen has a big lead.
He has an advantage of 10 seconds to Lando Norris.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports F1 is reporting that Oscar Piastri has been preserving his tyres.
The Australian was four seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, but it is now down to three seconds.
Piastri will be hoping to extend his first stint and be faster at the end of the race.
22/56: Ferraris fight each other, then Leclerc pits
Charles Leclerc is now defending third place from Lewis Hamilton.
That squabble has allowed Lando Norris to get away in second.
Leclerc is brought into the pits at the end of the 22nd lap.
He is on new medium tyres.
21/56: Lando Norris takes second and is given a final warning
Lando Norris is closer than he has ever been to Charles Leclerc.
Down the back straight, he opens the rear wing and the Brit makes the move.
That is important for Norris.
As it stands, he is taking eight points off Piastri’s championship lead.
Norris is also on a final warning for exceeding the track limits.
The Brit has been off three times.
www.abc.net.au (Article Sourced Website)
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