Verstappen Closes Championship Gap with Win in Austin

Red Bull's Max Verstappen on the top step (Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took a hard-fought victory at the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, edging closer to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the championship standings. Verstappen led from start to finish, controlling the race through changing tyre strategies and managing pressure from McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

“It was an unbelievable weekend for us,” Verstappen said. “I knew the race would not be straightforward. The pace between myself and Lando was really close. In that first stint we made a difference, I could eke out a bit of a gap and that was the gap until the end. It wasn’t easy to manage the tyres in both stints but we kept it in the lead and I’m incredibly proud of everyone to deliver a weekend like this.”

The opening lap saw everyone get through Turn 1 cleanly, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc jumping to second as the only driver in the top ten to start on soft tyres. Norris dropped to third, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton climbed to fourth and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, moved into fifth.

Further back, Williams’ Carlos Sainz rose to eighth before contact on lap seven with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli brought out a Virtual Safety Car. Sainz attempted a move down the inside at Turn 15 but clipped Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into the barriers. Antonelli was able to continue, but Sainz sustained damage and was forced to retire his car.

When racing resumed on lap nine, Verstappen remained in command with Leclerc and Norris in pursuit. After several laps of pressure, Norris finally reclaimed second from Leclerc at Turn 12 on lap 21 with a clean move down the inside.

Leclerc pitted at the end of lap 22 to switch from softs to mediums, promoting Hamilton to third. The Monegasque rejoined ninth and climbed back to eighth by lap 27.

Hamilton pitted on lap 31 for soft tyres, rejoining sixth. Norris stopped a lap later, while Verstappen responded on lap 34, taking softs and retaining his lead comfortably. Mercedes’ George Russell followed, rejoining sixth on fresh tyres.

By the closing stages, Verstappen managed his lead effectively while Norris and Leclerc fought for second again. Norris launched a late attack at Turn 1 on lap 51, diving down the inside to take the position. But Leclerc anticipated the move and executed a clever switchback, allowing Norris to pass into the corner before cutting back underneath him and reclaiming the place on exit. Norris stayed close, though, and finally made the move stick at Turn 12 to secure second place.

“Finally, it took long enough,” said Norris. “It was a good battle with Charles, he fought hard. We did everything we could. I expected the second attempt to be a bit easier but it wasn’t. Charles drove a very good race. I started to struggle with my tyres so I backed off for a few laps, went again, and it worked. Good strategy, good driving, and a fun race.”

Leclerc’s early gamble paid off with his first podium in several rounds.

“I was a little bit worried when I saw I was the only car on the softs,” said Leclerc. “I knew it was a risky move. What I had in mind was to use the softs and get free air. It was optimistic because we had two cars in front, but we gained one position and that helped us a lot. I’m happy overall because it’s been a tough second part of the year and to be back on the podium feels good.”

Hamilton finished fourth after holding off championship leader Oscar Piastri in the final laps, reporting a suspected puncture over the radio but managing to keep the McLaren behind. It equalled his best result since joining Ferrari and highlighted steady progress for the team.

Piastri took fifth for McLaren, extending his points lead but watching Verstappen close the gap with another strong weekend. Russell finished sixth for Mercedes, followed by Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda, who delivered solid points in seventh. Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg secured eighth, Haas rookie Oliver Bearman impressed again with ninth, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso claimed the final point in tenth.

Verstappen’s win closes the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri, who leads with 346 points, ahead of Lando Norris on 332. Verstappen now sits on 306 points, with five rounds remaining as Red Bull continues to build momentum heading into Mexico.

“Yeah, for sure, the chance is there,” said Verstappen. “We just need to try and deliver these weekends until the end. We will try whatever we can. It’s exciting and I’m very motivated until the end.”

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies praised his driver’s relentless consistency.

“Max has been driving at an incredible level,” Mekies said. “We’re probably witnessing something quite extraordinary. The team keeps pushing, taking risks, and staying focused. The rest will just be the consequence.”