Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, securing the 69th win of his Formula 1 career. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second, extending his lead over teammate Oscar Piastri to 30 points in the drivers’ championship and bringing him closer to his first Formula 1 title.
Oscar Piastri crossed the line in fourth position after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who had finished ahead of the Australian, received a five-second penalty for jumping the start. George Russell, last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix winner, completed the podium for Mercedes, marking his 150th Grand Prix start alongside Norris.
With two races and a sprint remaining, worth a maximum of 58 points, Norris leads the championship with 408 points, followed by Piastri on 378, while four-time world champion Verstappen remains mathematically in contention with 366 points.
Norris finished 20.741 seconds behind Verstappen. The McLaren driver can secure the championship next weekend in Qatar, with the team already having clinched the constructors’ title for the second year in a row.
Verstappen commented on his performance, noting, “The car was working pretty well, much more to my liking.” The podium ceremony featured Verstappen, Norris and Russell riding in a LEGO pink Cadillac convertible driven by actor Terry Crews, with fireworks lighting up the Las Vegas Strip. The victory marked Verstappen’s sixth win of the season, his 125th career podium, and his eighth consecutive podium finish during the 150th Grand Prix of Red Bull’s partnership with Honda.
At the start, Norris lost the lead to Verstappen after running wide at the first corner, dropping to third behind Verstappen and Russell. He reclaimed second position from Russell on lap 34 and managed his fuel to complete the race. Norris said, “I let Max have a win. No, I just braked too late. It was not my best performance out there, but he was quicker.”
Kimi Antonelli finished fifth, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in sixth and Williams’ Carlos Sainz in seventh. Isack Hadjar finished eighth for Racing Bulls, while Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton completed the top ten for Sauber and Ferrari respectively.
The opening lap saw Piastri drop from fifth to seventh following contact with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, whose car was badly damaged. Verstappen had built a 20-second lead by lap 23 and pitted halfway through the race, rejoining in the lead after Norris and Russell had switched to hard tyres.
The race featured multiple incidents, including Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll colliding with Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, resulting in immediate retirements for both drivers. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also spun at the start, prompting a virtual safety car to clear debris between turns one and four. A second virtual safety car was deployed on lap 16 after Williams’ Alex Albon and Hamilton collided. Albon received a five-second penalty for causing the incident and was reprimanded for a starting procedure infringement.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix highlighted Verstappen’s continued success, Norris’ strategic management of his championship lead, and key race incidents that affected the final standings.
