Verstappen Dominates, Norris Fails, and Bortoleto Crashes in Las Vegas

Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix and remains in contention for the championship. Meanwhile, race leader and pole sitter, Lando Norris, went straight at the first corner at the start, dropping to third before overtaking George Russell to secure second place, despite losing time in the final two laps due to issues with his McLaren. With this result, Norris heads into the final two races of the championship with 58 points up for grabs, holding a 30-point lead over Oscar Piastri and 42 points over Max Verstappen. ‘It’s been a season of ups and downs, and that will be very beneficial for the future as well,’ said Verstappen. ‘You have to be bold at the first corner, and I was too bold. But at least I didn’t lose too many points,’ reflected Norris. Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto’s race lasted only a few meters for the second time in a row: he dove to the inside at the first corner, causing a collision that forced Lance Stroll to retire, and then also stopped his car shortly after. The Sauber driver acknowledged his mistake for the crash, stating, ‘I am very upset, disappointed with myself, but there will be bad moments, good moments, and it won’t be the last time I will crash in Formula 1, it’s part of it.’ Despite Verstappen’s win, the result means Norris could clinch the championship as early as the penultimate race in Qatar next week, as the runner-up, Piastri, finished only fourth. Starting from fifth position, the Australian was hit by Liam Lawson and dropped to sixth. After 17 laps, he managed to pass Isack Hadjar. Anticipating his pit stop on lap 22, Piastri managed to overtake Sainz. The Australian crossed the finish line in fifth but was promoted to fourth following Kimi Antonelli’s penalty for a jump start. The Italian, who started in 17th place, drove most of the race with the same set of tires, finishing just 2s behind Russell on track before the 5s penalty was added. The top 10 was completed by Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, and Lewis Hamilton. Norris dropped to third at the start with his mistake, but McLaren kept him out on track for five more laps than Russell to give him a tire advantage in the final part of the race. Norris used this to overtake Russell easily and build a significant gap to the Mercedes driver, which proved crucial as he encountered issues that saw him finish 20s behind Verstappen. Verstappen had a dominant night, leading from start to finish and securing his sixth victory of the season. Result of the Qatar Grand Prix: 1st Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2nd Lando Norris (McLaren), 3rd George Russell (Mercedes), 4th Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 5th Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 6th Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 7th Carlos Sainz (Williams), 8th Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), 9th Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), 10th Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 11th Esteban Ocon (Haas), 12th Ollie Bearman (Haas), 13th Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 14th Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), 15th Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 16th Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 17th Franco Colapinto (Alpine). Retirements: Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll.