Daniel Ricciardo pays tribute to Charles Leclerc's stoic defence against Lando Norris during F1 US GP

Daniel Ricciardo was full of praise for Charles Leclerc after the Ferrari driver showed strong defence against Lando Norris at the United States GP. Leclerc, in the recently concluded race at the Circuit of The Americas, tried to hold off Norris as much as possible, something Ricciardo found praiseworthy.

Norris and Leclerc were locked in for a head-to-head battle in the US GP as they targeted P2 at Austin. With Max Verstappen being in a different league, the two drivers had to give their all to salvage second place.

Norris, who started the race from P2, lost his place to Leclerc earlier and therefore had to hold on to his position and keep Norris at bay. This was a daunting task, given that Ferrari's SF-25 was barely a match for McLaren's MCL39.

Hailing Leclerc's efforts, Ricciardo praised him in a chat during one of Meta's events. Taking to the chat, he wrote (via clara on X)

"Charles still holding on is impressive."

However, Charles Leclerc was unable to hold off Lando Norris till the end, as the championship contender got past the Monegasque driver and claimed P2. Leclerc came home eight seconds after Norris crossed the finish line.

Verstappen claimed the victory and trimmed his gap to the top. Lewis Hamilton finished the race in P4, while championship leader Oscar Piastri wrapped up the top five.

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Charles Leclerc let his feelings known after podium finish at US GP

Charles Leclerc shared his thoughts after finishing on the podium at the United States GP at Circuit of The Americas. Speaking to the media, here's what the Ferrari driver said:

Third placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari lifts his trophy on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas - Source: Getty

"I was a little bit worried when I saw I was the only soft on the grid at the beginning, I knew it was a risky move. We tried the soft to get into free air, which was tough with two cars in front. I had fun in the car, I enjoyed it." (Via Sky Sports F1)

After 19 races and four sprints, Charles Leclerc is in P5 of the Drivers' Championship with 192 points. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is in P6 with 142 points. Ferrari are in P3 of the Constructors' Championship with 334 points.

Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas