Ferrari transformed the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix into an immediate attack on the front positions, with Charles Leclerc surging from fourth to second and Lewis Hamilton moving from fifth to fourth. After qualifying had left both SF-26s outside the top three, the Ferrari United States GP start immediately changed the complexion of the race in Austin.
Charles Leclerc produced the biggest gain. Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into the lead at Turn 1, while Max Verstappen initially emerged in second, but the Ferrari driver continued his attack through the fast opening sequence and found a way past the Red Bull. By the end of the opening exchanges, Leclerc had gained two positions and was running directly behind the Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc turns fourth on the grid into second
Ferrari had started the race with the Monegasque fourth and the Briton fifth, behind Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. That meant the opening metres offered an important opportunity to recover some of the ground lost in qualifying, and Leclerc took full advantage.
Max Verstappen retained second place through the first corner, but Charles Leclerc remained close enough to continue the fight rather than settling into position. His move through the high-speed section promoted the Monegasque into second and pushed Verstappen back to third, giving Ferrari an immediate presence in the battle at the front.
It was a particularly valuable opening lap because Leclerc did not need to spend the early phase of the Grand Prix trapped behind both Red Bulls. Moving directly into second instead gave Ferrari track position behind race leader Antonelli, although the opening lap alone could not indicate how the relative race pace or strategies would develop over the full 56 laps.
Lewis Hamilton also gains as Ferrari attacks with both cars
Lewis Hamilton was involved in the same intense opening sequence. The seven-time world champion made a strong enough launch to get ahead of Isack Hadjar, converting fifth on the grid into fourth position during the opening lap.
Hamilton was briefly involved in the fight around his Ferrari team-mate and then also examined an opportunity around the outside of Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver defended the position, preventing Ferrari from emerging from the opening sequence in second and third, but Hamilton still completed the first lap one place higher than where he had started.
That left Ferrari with Charles Leclerc second and Lewis Hamilton fourth after beginning the race from fourth and fifth respectively. Between them, the two Ferrari drivers had therefore gained three positions almost immediately, while Verstappen found himself separating the two red cars in third.
Ferrari immediately recovers from qualifying disappointment
The start represented exactly the kind of recovery Ferrari needed after failing to convert its encouraging Austin practice performance into a front-row qualifying position. Leclerc had lined up fourth and Hamilton fifth, leaving both drivers with work to do against Mercedes and Red Bull once the race began.
The opening lap did not settle the United States Grand Prix, nor did it establish which car would ultimately have the strongest race pace. What it did establish was much more immediate: Ferrari had erased a significant part of its qualifying disadvantage within a matter of corners. With Charles Leclerc already running second and Lewis Hamilton fourth, the Scuderia entered the main phase of the Austin race in a considerably stronger position than its starting grid had suggested.
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