Max Verstappen claimed an impressive victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, denying Lando Norris and reducing the McLaren driver’s lead in the standings to 42 points as Oscar Piastri finished fourth.
Verstappen was left in control of the 50-lap race on the streets of Las Vegas after the opening corners, passing poleman Norris when the Drivers’ Championship leader ran wide through Turn 1 having initially chopped across his title rival off the line.
Norris also slipped behind George Russell and only re-passed the Mercedes driver in the latter stages but was unable to mount a challenge on Verstappen, eventually limping home nearly 21 seconds adrift after nursing a late problem.
Russell held on for the podium despite complaining of his own issues with his Mercedes’ steering, which nearly dropped him into the clutches of a fighting drive from team mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished fourth on-the-road after starting P17.
The young Italian had held off a charging Piastri and Charles Leclerc in the closing stages, but a five-second penalty for a false start dropped Antonelli to P5 in the final classification, just one-tenth ahead of Leclerc who fell back in the final laps.
It meant Piastri finished P4 having slipped as low as seventh at one stage in the early running after being hit by Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls in the opening turn, with the Australian now 30-points behind Norris in the championship.
Leclerc finished P6 after an early charge from P9, with Carlos Sainz completing the top-seven having put in a measured drive aboard his Williams from Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls.
The top-10 was completed by Nico Hulkenberg’s Kick Sauber and Lewis Hamilton, the Ferrari driver taking the final point having started at the back of the grid and utilising an opening stint on the hard tyre, as did Hulkenberg.
The Haas pairing of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman just missed out on the points, the latter having run inside the top-10 initially along with Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin driver finishing just behind in P13.
The Spaniard headed Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, which started from the pit lane, and Pierre Gasly, who found his Alpine facing the wrong way at Turn 1 on the opening lap.
Lawson was P16 after picking up damage on the second lap which required a pit stop, as Franco Colapinto’s Alpine completed the classification of finishers.
Alex Albon (Williams) retired having at one stage collided with the back of Hamilton which required a new front wing, while Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) both retired with damage after contact at Turn 1 on the opening lap.
More to follow
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