2024 F1 US GP: Race Predictions

The 2024 F1 US GP will see Lando Norris start the race from pole position. The McLaren driver secured pole position as every driver was forced to abandon their second lap after George Russell's crash on his flying lap. The Brit would line up alongside Max Verstappen, who was on course to do a better lap and secure pole but was thwarted by the yellow flag.

The second row of the grid would have the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, followed by Oscar Piastri and George Russell. Lewis Hamilton had a poor qualifying session, but he was not the only one as Sergio Perez once again failed to impress.

Heading into the race in Austin, what can we expect from the 2024 F1 US GP? Let's take a look as we share our predictions for the race.

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#5 The US GP might not be as eventful as the sprint

It's hard to argue that the F1 US GP has been very eventful until now, with the best part being the anticipation. The sprint shootout on Friday was great. The Sprint itself was brilliant. The qualifying has been very close, and it has opened the door for a very interesting race on Sunday.

With that being said, the race might not be as eventful as the sprint on Saturday, primarily because the field does get spread out in the main race. Hence, on Sunday the overtakes may not be as frequent as they were in the sprint.

With that being said, it is still going to be a very intriguing watch with far too many variables in play.

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#4 Haas is in contention for points

It is safe to say that some teams could make changes after the sprint while others could fall back. There is, however, a clear advantage that Haas had as it went into the weekend, and it was down to the fact that the tire life was quite impressive. This was something that stood out for both drivers when they jumped Yuki Tsunoda's RB in the sprint.

Will the same form continue into the race on Sunday? Well, ideally, it should because the conditions would more or less be the same. With that being said, we're looking at a scenario where other teams have had the opportunity to learn. We're backing at least one of the Haas cars to make it to the top 10 this weekend.

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#3 Expect Ferrari to be a factor for the win

McLaren is the dark horse in the entire scheme of things because the lap that Lando Norris produced to secure pole position was something to behold. With that being said, how the car works over a race distance is a bit of a question mark.

It became clear very fast in the sprint that the long-run pace was not as competitive for McLaren. At the same time, the Ferrari duo was menacingly fast during the sprint.

The sprint didn't give Ferrari drivers the time to truly express themselves, but the race on Sunday will. Expect both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to be a factor in the F1 US GP.

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#2 Tire management is going to be the key talking point

One of the major reasons behind the sprint being this action-packed was the fact that the tire management concerns were something that almost every team had. As it turned out, a lot of cars, including Mercedes, had tire trouble. This is something that's going to be a limiting factor in the race as well. Hard tire could be the preferred option for some teams, but how effective it would be is still a question mark.

A lot of the final results are going to come down to how each driver manages the tires during the F1 US GP.

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#1 Max Verstappen wins the F1 US GP

There are multiple drivers who could become a factor in the F1 US GP. There's Lando Norris, who starts the race in pole position, and there are the two Ferraris as well. But none of them have had the composure or the command of the race that Max Verstappen has had.

The Red Bull driver starts the race in P2, and if he's able to nail the start and jump Norris on the first lap, he would more or less manage it from there. Even if that doesn't happen, Verstappen has stood out from the rest of the field and is the favorite to win the F1 US GP.