The fact that there is still a real title fight ahead this season was illustrated in the most beautiful way that Formula 1 deserves, with an absolutely thrilling, dramatic and controversial wheel-to-wheel competition between the two protagonists Max Verstappen and Lando Norris USA Grand Prix. But shame on poor Charles Leclerc, whose dominant win in Austin and Ferrari's resurgence with a one-two alongside Carlos Sainz were all but overshadowed by the Texas sun.

The season, a duel between Red Bull driver Verstappen and McLaren driver Norris, had long called for a direct head-to-head race between them, and in the end they delivered an absolute brilliant performance in Austin, even if not for the lead. In the end, after fighting wheel-to-wheel for more than ten laps and having no choice, Norris finally overtook Verstappen on the track for third place when the checkered flag fell and Verstappen was fourth.

However, as Norris received a five-second penalty for going off the track while overtaking, the positions were reversed, leaving Norris dissatisfied with his team. They hadn't told him to give the seat back to avoid the penalty, but McLaren was equally confident in the decision. The stewards' decision was fundamentally wrong.

It was a somewhat unsatisfying end to a hard-fought and fair duel after Norris, who had lost the lead from pole at the start of the race, came back strongly to win the battle against Verstappen. It was a brave performance, but overall Verstappen still emerged from the weekend as the clear winner in the title fight.

He has extended his lead to 57 points, a net loss of five points for Norris over the weekend, far from what the British rider needs, although the pace he showed at the end as the Dutchman struggled put him in last place five races will make you optimistic.

Nevertheless, it was an exciting result that showed how closely the two drivers fit together. When both had decided to make a single stop, Norris had driven longer and came up to the Dutchman in the final third with fresher tires and chased him furiously. The pair competed over corner after corner, but Verstappen held his nerve and defended with no little spirit and skill as the British driver sought every angle in an absolutely thrilling battle.

On lap 52, Norris finally found his way past at Turn 12, but when Verstappen braked too late on the inside line, both drivers went wide off the track, allowing Norris to move into first place. This was illegal under the rules, but the question arose as to whether Verstappen deliberately did not slow down enough in the corner to push both of them to the edge of the race, knowing that overtaking would then be overruled.

Verstappen was upset that his rival was sent off and Norris felt he already had the place after the corner. McLaren could have told Norris to give the place back, but were convinced that Norris was in the lead going into the corner and both cars had gone off the track, and told him to hold the position rather than give up the position again and again to get to the Dutchman.

Both drivers were convinced they were in the right, but the stewards found against Norris in what Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saw as another example of inconsistent decision-making, which will spark a debate about the rules and their interpretation that will not fail quickly fell silent.

Broadly speaking, the two title leaders were more or less level overall in terms of speed, but it was Verstappen who came out of the weekend victorious as he extended his lead. Five meetings remain, including two sprint races, and while the task facing the British rider remains challenging, at least he remains in the fight.

With all the attention focused on their World Championship rivals at the time, there was also an intriguing late season with Ferrari now poised to play a role in the title fight, ratcheting up the tension ahead of the final run-in.

The day belonged entirely to Ferrari, showing that they have turned their car on its head and the Scuderia will be strengthened in their belief that they still have a chance of the constructors' title. Leclerc had taken the lead at the start and didn't relinquish it after Norris lost the spot from pole when Verstappen jumped inside and pushed him wide, allowing Leclerc to still shoot and overtake both to finish from fourth on the grid to take the lead.

It was enough and the gap was 19 seconds in the end for Leclerc's third win of the season. An immense lead that both Norris and Verstappen cannot ignore as they expect Ferrari to also play a big role in next week's clash in Mexico.