Las Vegas delivers drama as Verstappen shines and Norris takes another step toward the championship.
Max Verstappen delivered one of his strongest drives of the season to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix, keeping his championship hopes alive as the Formula 1 title race heads into its final two rounds.
Lando Norris finished second for McLaren, strengthening his position at the top of the standings. His teammate Oscar Piastri took fourth, leaving both McLaren drivers still mathematically in the title fight, though Norris remains in full control with only Qatar and Abu Dhabi remaining.
With his second-place finish, Norris now leads Piastri by 30 points. There are 58 points left in the season, including the sprint race in Qatar. If Norris ends the Doha weekend with a lead of at least 26 points, he will secure the world championship.
Verstappen took control of the race from the start. After Norris ran wide into the first corner, the Red Bull driver moved ahead and remained untouchable for the rest of the evening. The dry conditions suited Red Bull, and Verstappen maintained a strong pace even on older tyres during his long first stint.
George Russell of Mercedes briefly challenged at the front and ultimately secured third place. But the night belonged to Verstappen, who now has six wins this season, an impressive recovery after trailing Piastri by 104 points in August. His recent run includes four victories and three additional podium finishes in the last seven races.
Despite the surge, Verstappen still trails Norris by 42 points. To stay in the fight, he will likely need the McLaren driver to suffer a poor result in Qatar.
Norris entered the race under heavy pressure but remained composed throughout the weekend. He secured pole position in difficult wet qualifying conditions and then drove smartly during the race, focusing on consistency and tyre management.
After falling behind Russell, Norris regained second place on lap 34 and tried to chase Verstappen, but the Red Bull driver had too much pace in hand.
Piastri recovered from early contact to take fourth, limiting the damage to his own fading title chances.
Lewis Hamilton climbed from 19th to 10th, securing a single point after a difficult qualifying session. Charles Leclerc finished sixth behind Mercedes’ Antonelli, while Carlos Sainz lost ground after being undercut by Piastri during pit stops.
Earlier in the day, Doriane Pin won the 2025 F1 Academy championship. The 21-year-old French driver secured the title with a fifth-place finish in the final race of the season, completing a campaign that included four wins and eight podiums. She becomes the third champion of the all-female series, following Marta García and Abbi Pulling.
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