F1: Verstappen Wins as McLarens Crash and Retire in US Sprint Race

Max Verstappen won the sprint race valid for the United States Grand Prix, the 19th stage of the 2025 Formula 1 season, held this Saturday in Austin. The race ended under a safety car after Lance Stroll collided with Esteban Ocon at Turn 1. It was Verstappen’s 13th victory in sprint races, bringing him closer to Oscar Piastri in the title fight. Verstappen now has 281 points, compared to Norris’ 314 and Piastri’s 336. Later on Saturday, the qualifying session will determine tomorrow’s race grid, giving the four-time champion a chance to get even closer to the championship battle. Follow the action live on F1Mania.net at 6pm Brasília time. At the start, Verstappen took the lead comfortably. Norris and Piastri were side by side on the straight before Turn 1. Piastri tried to overtake Norris on the inside of the first corner, but ended up hitting Hulkenberg. The German spun and hit Alonso, while Piastri collided with Norris – both retired from the race. Alonso also retired with severe damage to his car, but Hulkenberg managed to return to the pits, change the damaged front wing, and get back on track. The stewards considered it a racing incident, with no penalties applied. With the chaos at the start, Russell moved up to second place ahead of Sainz, followed by the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Hamilton, respectively. Leclerc gained six positions after the incidents, and the stewards reviewed if the Ferrari driver had violated the yellow flags, but no penalty was issued. The race resumed on lap 6 of the scheduled 19 for the Sprint in the United States. Russell tried to overtake Verstappen using DRS, but ended up going off track and forcing Verstappen wide. Verstappen remained in the lead, with the stewards ruling it a racing incident. Hamilton overtook Leclerc to take fourth place. Shortly after, on lap 17, Stroll braked too late and hit Ocon at Turn 1 in a completely mistaken move, with both drivers retiring from the race. The safety car was deployed again, and the race finished under safety car conditions. Verstappen took the win, with Russell and Sainz completing the top three. Hamilton finished fourth, ahead of Leclerc. Albon, Tsunoda, and Antonelli completed the points-scoring positions.