OCTOBER 23, 2024

(Getty Images/Formula1.com)

Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) took a flawless victory in the United States Grand Prix, the Monegasque leading Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz (No. 55 Scuderia Ferrari) in a 1-2 after storming through into the lead on the opening lap, while a tense late-race battle between Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team) and Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) saw Norris receive a penalty and drop to fourth behind his title rival. Pole-sitter Norris initially looked to have held the lead off the line when the lights went out for the 56-lap encounter, but the McLaren went side-by-side with Verstappen into the first corner, which led to the Briton being pushed wide, allowing Leclerc to sneak through and snatch P1. From there the Monegasque enjoyed an unchallenged drive to victory, while Sainz benefitted from an undercut to put himself into second place ahead of Verstappen following his pit stop, the Spaniard putting in a solid drive to cross the line 8.5s behind Leclerc. As the race entered into its final stages, Norris overtook Verstappen for P3 following a fiercely close duel between the championship rivals – but the nature of the move prompted discussion over the radio, with Verstappen and Red Bull claiming that Norris had overtaken outside of the track limits. This ultimately saw Norris receive a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, dropping him down from third to fourth and promoting Verstappen into the final podium position. The result has certainly given Ferrari a significant boost in the constructors’ battle, with their new total of 496 meaning that they trail second-placed Red Bull by only eight points, while McLaren remain in the lead on 544. In the drivers’ standings, Leclerc remains in third place but is now just 22 points adrift of Norris in second. Verstappen, meanwhile, has stretched his lead over Norris to 57 points. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(MotoGP.com)

Marc Marquez (No. 93 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was victorious at the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix after a stunning duel Down Under. Marquez claimed win number three of the season after a phenomenal ride from the eight-time World Champion, digging deep when needed and locking horns with title leader Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing). Martin crossed the line second best on Sunday, in what could be an important day in the title race as the Spaniard extends his Championship lead to 20 points after defeating title rival Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team). The Italian crossed the line in third, unable to match the pace of the leaders and bringing home a further 16 points. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)

(Photo of Marc Marquez by Special AE Contributor Whit Bazemore) 

Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG