Another United States Grand Prix is in the books!
The race is one where the culture of the city is as important as the competition.
In regards to the racing in Austin, Max Verstappen won the weekend's sprint, but finished third in the grand prix, so he is not quite certain to capture this season's Driver's Championship. Both Ferraris joined him on the podium. Charles Leclerc won after storming into the lead from P4. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, crossed the line second in a showcase of Ferrari's growth.
The only United States-based team on the grid, Haas, made a statement in their home race. Nico Hülkenberg finished eighth, the team's best finish in a United States race ever. Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen both scored points in the sprint, giving the team a two-point lead over Visa Cash App RB in the Constructor's Championship standings.
Fan favorite Daniel Ricciardo was not at Circuit of the Americas this year because Visa Cash App RB cut him after an emotional Singapore Grand Prix. There was a tangible void in the atmosphere at Austin.
But there were still plenty of positive moments to make race fans smile. Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda and Gordon Ramsay had some fun embracing all COTA had to offer.
Here are Kick The Concrete's highlights from the 2024 F1 United States Grand Prix:
Daniel Ricciardo was missed
Let's get this out of the way. Things weren't the same without Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian driver was featured front and center at COTA in a mural of the drivers dressed for the occasion and in F1's official social media promo for the race. But he was not physically there and his presence was missed. Just look at any of the Instagram comments from the weekend. Fans were so sad.
The teams tried to embrace cowboy culture like he used to. All the drivers modeled hats in a partnership with western wear company Tecovas. Alpine had a photo shoot with hats and boots at the famous Allens Boots. Lando Norris carried on the tradition of wearing a Texas Longhorns jersey and Hook 'Em made an appearance at COTA. Bevo stayed home.
Even F1 regular Gordon Ramsay got in on the fun. He posted a "Get Ready With Me" video showing his white chef jacket, a pair of cowboy boots and a hat before the scene tossed to him strutting down the track.
But the Honey Badger's infectious smile, attempts at an American accent and effortless style simply weren't there.
Alpine had not one, but two great collabs
Alpine was the team that seemed to have the most fun over the weekend. They might be second to last in the Constructor's Championship race, but their F1 Academy driver, Abbi Pulling, has been dominating the sister series. And the French outfit has been making its mark as one of the most exciting teams in regards to partnerships.
For the United States Grand Prix, Alpine pulled out all the stops. They had a New Era capsule collection with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs that featured a jacket, jersey and bucket hat. The designs were clean and sporty.
They also went all out with their livery. The team teased it on social media with a semi-truck driving through mysterious places and it turned out to be a collaboration with Indiana Jones! The orange paint job was to celebrate the upcoming "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" video game.
On the track, Pierre Gasly finished qualifying in P6 while Esteban Ocon landed himself P12 on the starting grid. It was the team's best qualifying of the season. Gasly finished 12th and Ocon crossed the checkered flag 18th.
But the livery was a good continuation of Alpine's pop culture collabs. For the Belgian Grand Prix, they went red and yellow for the "Deadpool & Wolverine" movie, which starred team owner Ryan Reynolds.
If a team could get points for engaging with pop culture, Alpine would get a lot of them.
Lewis Hamilton meets rising star Kenzo Craigie
Lewis Hamilton's United States Grand Prix didn't quite match up to his past success at COTA. He clawed up to P12 after starting P17, and then spun out and retired on Lap 3. The early retirement was the first time in his career he didn't finish a race in the United States. But the weekend wasn't a complete wash.
On Saturday, the seven-time world champion met with Mercedes' junior driver Kenzo Craigie, who won the FIA World Championship last month. Craigie, who is Black, races with the number 44 to pay tribute to Hamilton, his groundbreaking hero.
Hamilton showed the young teenager his own W-15 and gave him a drive around the circuit. Craigie was all smiles.
"It's so amazing," Craigie told Sky Sports of his first time sitting in an F1 car. "It's so compact compared to what you see on TV. I can't imagine doing an hour and a half in there with how hot it gets. It was hot with the car even off. So yeah, big respect to all the drivers."
"Proud to have Kenzo with us in Austin," Hamilton wrote on Instagram. "Always inspiring to see and support the next gen. Well done on your karting world championship, so much more to come."
Yuki Tsunoda was USGP's best-dressed driver
Lewis Hamilton is usually the fashion king at any F1 race. At this year's United States Grand Prix, he wore a denim Bally look, a baggy Rick Owens ensemble, a custom Marc Jacobs sweater with an elegant pansy detail and items from his own +44 collection.
But the best-dressed at COTA was Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has shown hints of his style expertise, including a denim set at the Singapore Grand Prix. He really impressed this weekend.
He started with a dark jacket and pants set from Hugo Boss that featured gothic silver roses. He wore a burgundy shirt underneath to complete the theme. Letting the jacket fall off the shoulder is, well, a BOSS move. (Shoutout to Tasia Johnson for pointing this look out).
He also wore some sporty pants with a Vegas Golden Knights hockey jersey. We're sure organizers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix loved that.
Ahead of the sprint race, he expertly donned a neutral look featuring a Kapital sweater.
On race day, he legit looked like a member of a boy band in an RSRV x Alpinestars motojacket. We see you, Yuki!
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