Formula 1: Max Verstappen wins United States Grand Prix to inch closer to points lead Nick Bromberg October 19, 2025 at 10:57 PM 0 Max Verstappen is now just 40 points back of points leader Oscar Piastri.
- - Formula 1: Max Verstappen wins United States Grand Prix to inch closer to points lead
Nick Bromberg October 19, 2025 at 10:57 PM
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Max Verstappen is now just 40 points back of points leader Oscar Piastri. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (RONALDO SCHEMIDT via Getty Images)
Is Max Verstappen a serious threat for a fifth consecutive Formula 1 title?
Verstappen cut Oscar Piastri's points lead to 40 points with an easy win in the United States Grand Prix. Verstappen started on pole and didn't have to sweat a bit thanks to some help from Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc started third on the soft tires compared to those around him on the mediums and got around Lando Norris at the start. That kept Norris in third for over 20 laps, before he finally got past Leclerc on his more durable tires.
By that time, Verstappen was over 10 seconds ahead of second place and there was no hope of a serious challenge for the lead without a safety car.
Norris ended up finishing second after he had to pass Leclerc again in the waning laps of the race thanks to the pit stop cycles. He gained eight points on Piastri — who finished fifth — and is now 14 points back of his McLaren teammate with five Grand Prix and two sprint races to go this season.
McLaren has the constructors' title wrapped up and can let its drivers fight it out for the title without worrying about poor finishes hurting the bid for the team title. However, Verstappen is more than lurking behind both drivers now.
Verstappen hasn't finished outside the top two in any of the last five races and has turned what looked to be a straightforward battle between Piastri and Norris into a legitimate three-way title fight. Not counting the sprint races, if Verstappen finishes first and Norris second and Piastri third in the five remaining Grand Prix, Verstappen will win the title.
Leclerc was third as the team placed both its drivers in the top four. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth on a weekend where Ferrari looked far better relative to McLaren than it had for the entirety of the season. Ferrari is now just four points back of Mercedes for second in the constructors' standings.
The race was very straightforward from the start and featured just one virtual safety car for an incident between Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli when Sainz turned Antonelli around. The crash forced Sainz to retire early and Antonelli finished outside the points.
USGP results
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lando Norris, McLaren
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6. George Russell, Mercedes
7. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
8. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
9. Ollie Bearman, Haas
10. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
11. Liam Lawson, RB
12. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
13. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
14. Esteban Ocon, Haas
15. Alex Albon, Williams
16. Isack Hadjar, RB
17. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
18. Franco Colapinto, Alpine
19. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Not classified; Carlos Sainz, Williams
Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: VoXi MAG
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