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Red Bull F1 team advisor Helmut Marko joked about gifting Charles Leclerc "boxes of Red Bull" for his pivotal role in Max Verstappen's victory at the United States Grand Prix. Verstappen started the race in pole position with Lando Norris alongside him on the front row and Leclerc behind him in P3.The Dutchman got a good start to retain P1 going into Turn 1 on the opening lap. While there wasn't a significant difference in the reaction times between Norris and Leclerc, the latter was on soft tires, which gave him more traction on the exit of Turn 1, and he passed the McLaren driver, who started on the mediums, for P2.Charles Leclerc defended P2 well and kept Lando Norris, whose overtaking tactics became predictable after a few laps, behind for 21 laps. Norris finally passed the Ferrari driver on lap 21, but by then Max Verstappen had built a solid lead of around 10 seconds.That first stint gave the four-time F1 champion the edge over championship rival Norris, who eventually finished P2. Helmut Marko spoke about Leclerc's role in Verstappen's victory with GPBlog post-race, saying:"I should send him some boxes of Red Bull, I guess, but it was helpful because we were not under immediate pressure (from Norris). We had the speed even if Lando would have been straight behind."After each driver's pit stops, Charles Leclerc emerged ahead of Lando Norris, and the latter had to overtake his Ferrari rival on track again to secure P2 on lap 51 of 56. Max Verstappen's victory reduced the gap to Norris in the drivers' championship from 33 to 26 points. Oscar Piastri continues to lead the championship, but because of his P5 finish at the US GP, his McLaren teammate trails him by only 14 points. Charles Leclerc counting on US GP podium to silence "unfounded noise and rumors" about FerrariCharles Leclerc holds his third-place trophy on the 2025 F1 United States Grand Prix podium - Source: GettyFerrari arrived into the United States GP weekend on the heels of two underwhelming races in Azerbaijan and Singapore, where the two drivers' combined total of points earned across the two weekends was 18. Amid growing performance concerns carried over from the first half of the seaso, team principal Frederic Vasseur's place also seemed under threat. Certain rumors linked Ferrari of being in talks with former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to replace him. However, before the race, Ferrari chairman John Elkann reaffirmed his faith in Vasseur and firmly ended the rumors. Moreover, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualifying in P3 and P4 at the Circuit of The Americas and securing a 3-4 result in the race dampened ths surrounding noise. Leclerc addressed the matter after his podium finish, saying (via Sky Sports):"It was a really good race for us. So it's a good thing, especially considering the whole situation. The second part of the season hasn't been easy. There is completely unfounded noise and rumours around the team. I think to demonstrate that in those kinds of situations, we can stay focused on the job and be rewarded with a podium is a really nice feeling."Charles Leclerc's podium at the US GP was his sixth in the 2025 season. Teammate Lewis Hamilton has yet to earn a podium with Ferrari, and that is his main goal heading into the remaining five races of the season. The Scuderia is also in contention for second place in the 2025 F1 constructors' championship in a three-way battle against Mercedes and Red Bull.
