Ferrari Delivers Solid Double Finish with Leclerc Third and Hamilton Fourth

At Circuit of the Americas, Ferrari opted for a bold approach with Charles Leclerc, putting him on used Soft tyres while most of the top 15 chose the Medium compound. The strategy immediately paid off as the Monegasque driver surged past Lando Norris into second place at Turn 1, while Lewis Hamilton maintained fourth position off the line.

The race’s first major incident came on lap 7 when Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli collided, triggering a Safety Car. Once the race resumed, Leclerc began to feel the effects of tyre degradation on his Softs but held Norris at bay until lap 22, when he switched to Mediums.

Rejoining the race in ninth, Leclerc began a determined climb through the field, overtaking Nico Hülkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda to regain lost ground. Hamilton made his single pit stop on lap 31 for a set of Soft tyres to carry him to the finish.

In the closing stages, Norris closed the gap to Leclerc once again, and the pair engaged in a thrilling battle for position. The Brit ultimately prevailed on lap 52, leaving Leclerc to finish third and secure his sixth podium of the season – his 49th in Formula 1. The result also marked Scuderia Ferrari’s sixth podium of the year and its 835th overall. Hamilton finished a strong fourth, ensuring another valuable points haul for the team.

Leclerc reflected positively on his weekend in Austin, highlighting the team’s recovery after early difficulties in practice. He credited the decision to take an aggressive strategy for helping him gain positions at the start, noting that while running Softs carried a degree of risk, it ultimately paid dividends. The podium finish, he said, was a testament to the team’s progress and focus heading into the final races of the season.

Hamilton described the race as a productive one, pointing out the car’s competitive pace in the first stint and the strong overall performance of the team. Though he fell just short of the podium, he expressed satisfaction with the consistency and improvements shown throughout the weekend. He emphasized that the SF-25 continues to reveal untapped potential and thanked the fans in Austin for their incredible support across the weekend.