Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton produced a tense exchange while fighting for the final podium place in the United States Grand Prix. The Monegasque defended with heavily worn softs, which nearly compromised both cars before the Scuderia being called to the pits. It happened early in the race. Max Verstappen controlled the pace from pole, as the US GP unfolded into a one-stop contest where tire choices and track position decided the order. The clip of Hamilton and Leclerc trading elbows for P3 was posted on X.Ferrari ran Charles Leclerc on a bold soft-tire start from P3, a high-risk call that paid early dividends. He was aggressive off the line, briefly wide into Turn 1, and elbowed past some traffic to slot ahead of Lando Norris. The softs gave him immediate pace but required careful management once the stints lengthened.Leclerc held off Norris for 21 laps, but the superior MCL39 finally made the breakthrough on mediums in Turn 12. This led to the intra-team scuffle that lasted for a lap. The No. 16 driver pitted on lap 23, briefly rejoining amid traffic in ninth, then methodically carved his way back through Nico Hülkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, and others to rejoin the fight for the podium.By lap 35, all drivers had pitted at least once, with Verstappen leading Leclerc and Norris, followed by Lewis Hamilton. As the race entered its closing phase, Norris, on soft, went past Leclerc one final time. The Briton on mediums found outright speed in the middle stint, running multiple fastest sectors. But it was not enough, with more than 15 seconds off his teammate.Charles Leclerc finished P3, alongside Lewis Hamilton’s P4, which broke a run of poor form for the team and gave Ferrari breathing space as the season’s final phase approaches.Charles Leclerc hails Ferrari's "good recovery" after first podium in five racesCharles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari after the United States Grand Prix. Source: GettyFerrari’s 3-4 finish at Circuit of the Americas marked a welcome turnaround after a tough run of no podiums in the previous five rounds that included a double DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix. Speaking to his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, over the radio after the race, Charles Leclerc celebrated the result.Bozzi said:“P3, well done.”Leclerc replied:“Good job. Good recovery this weekend. It's good to be back on the podium and let's keep pushing at the maximum until the end. We worked really well this weekend, so good job.”The Monegasque’s sixth podium of the year came at a crucial time for Ferrari, which had been losing ground in the Constructors’ standings through mid-season. With five races remaining and the next stop in Mexico, the team trails Mercedes by seven points. However, the performance in Austin showed that Ferrari’s pace and execution have improved just in time for the final stretch of the championship.