In a weekend that saw a rookie claim Pole, the end of almost a decade of points finishes for a four-time World Champion and weather that kept everyone guessing, the first American race of the season delivered drama in every direction.
Practice
Ollie managed to complete 22 laps of Friday’s single practice session before he unfortunately lost the rear of the car, making contact with the wall and bringing out the red flag, ending his session prematurely.
Sprint Qualifying
With limited prep, SQ was a struggle. Ollie searched for pace in the initial laps, but failing to cross the line within the allowed time to set a flying lap meant he could not improve his time. He qualified for the Sprint in P20.
Sprint Race
Starting at the back of the grid in wet conditions behind a Safety Car, Ollie’s eventual charge through the field was one of the standouts from the weekend. After a delayed start because of the rain, once things finally got underway, Ollie began the race on Intermediate tyres and climbed to P16 by the end of the first full racing lap.
At the halfway point, Ollie was chasing the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, climbing to P15 and passing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine within one more lap, sitting in P14 as the pitlane opened and his teammate next in sight.
With six laps to go, Ollie was up to P10 and past his teammate. On Lap 13 of 18, Sainz hit the wall, as Ollie putted and slipped to P13 but quickly gained back position with his fresh, medium compound tyres. P9 with three laps to go when Alonso hit the wall too, prompting another Safety Car, overtaking opportunities ground to a halt. Ollie finished the race in P9 and was promoted to P8 and into the Sprint points when a penalty was applied to Max Verstappen.
However, after the race, Ollie and the team were investigated for an ‘Unsafe Release’ of his car during a pit stop. They found that the car was released into the path of Nico Hulkenberg and Ollie was handed a five-second time penalty for the error, finishing the Sprint in P14.
Grand Prix Qualifying
Despite momentum from the Sprint, Qualifying remained difficult. Ollie was unable to improve on his time late in the first qualifying session, meaning he would line up P20 for Sunday’s race.
The Race
Starting in P19, when Pierre Gasly was moved to the Pit Lane to start, Ollie manoeuvred early chaos, avoiding a first-lap collision between Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson. By Lap 25, cars started to pit, and with the risk of rain looming, Ollie was up to P12.
But on Lap 29, Ollie’s race came to an early end with the apparent loss of hydraulics and steering, making it his first full DNF (retirement) in Formula 1.
Looking Ahead
After a tough weekend stateside, the focus now shifts to Europe and the chance to regroup and reset ahead of the next race in Italy, 16-18 May. Now level with Carlos Sainz for the most overtakes of the season so far, Ollie’s relentless fight through the field promises there is more to come.
