Racing was back at the Circuit of the Americas after what felt like an eternity following the three-week break since Singapore. For a moment we thought we would have to take up knitting to fill this void.

Carlos Sainz led Ferrari’s charge at COTA, relying on previous upgrades to deliver strong performance, despite no new updates. It was delightful to watch Carlos Sainz execute the classic student strategy: realizing way too late that missing the opportunity was going to cost him more than just a late-night cramming session!

After a long stretch of regular race weekends, the high-stakes sprint format returned—so overlooked it seems even the FIA forgot about it! Max Verstappen secured Sprint pole, giving Red Bull fans hope as the team regained its dominant form. However, surprises surfaced with Piastri's SQ1 exit and Perez failing to get past SQ2 (not too shocking, though). In a thrilling sprint race, Max reclaimed the top spot for the first time since June, returning to his usual place at the front.

Right after the sprint race, drivers had little time to rest before jumping into qualifying for Sunday’s main event. The session started with a shock as Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1, setting the stage for a tightly contested Q3 among the top teams and championship contenders. A thrilling Q3, poised to favour Max Verstappen, abruptly ended when George Russell spun out at Turn 19, bringing out a yellow flag. This allowed Lando Norris to secure pole position

As the red lights went out, championship contenders took the front row, with Max diving for the inside and nearly pushing Lando off track. This allowed Charles to take the lead into Turn 1, kicking off a thrilling race. Lando dropped to P4, while Max struggled to catch Charles as Red Bull lacked its usual pace. Charles pulled away, and Carlos undercut Max, raising hopes for a Ferrari 1-2—the first since Australia. In the final laps, Lando closed in on Max, setting up an intense wheel-to-wheel battle.

However, Lando’s decisive move was deemed a track limits violation, resulting in a 5-second penalty that secured Max’s podium finish and hampered Lando’s championship fight. Predictions swayed between Max and Lando, but Charles made it look effortless, taking the lead in Turn 1. Carlos’ strong second stint secured second place. This monstrous win for Ferrari struck like an unexpected tax audit for the other teams—just when you thought everything was going smoothly, life decides to hit you with a bill you didn’t see coming!

We're thrilled to announce our first female winner in the Grid Master 'Off to Qatar' contest - Taniyaa Mehta, securing victory by a remarkable margin in the US GP contest. If you're eager to experience the adrenaline of live motorsport action, there's still time to join the race. Only two tickets remain for the Qatar Grand Prix!

After a long break, we've finally arrived at the exhilarating triple-header, and it's time to rev up your engines and seize the moment! Don't just watch the race—get in on the action with Grid Master’s Mexican GP contest! Lock in your teams on the Grid Master app, where your love for motorsport fuels the excitement of competition.

Plus, with our Off to Qatar contest, you could win an exclusive trip to the Qatar Grand Prix, adding a whole new level of thrill to your racing journey giving you the chance to watch a race live by putting your motorsport passion and skill in play and get rewarded for the same. Don’t wait—this is your moment to shine! The deadline to submit your team is 2 AM, Sunday, 27th October. Make your picks now and get ready for the ultimate race weekend.

But that's not all—soon, we'll be launching cash contests and private competitions where you can win real cash rewards during action-packed motorsport weekends. Invite your friends to create a private pool and compete for cash prizes and the ultimate bragging rights as the top motorsport fan.

Stay tuned for these exciting Grid Master events, coming soon exclusively on the Grid Master app!