Max Verstappen wins in Las Vegas; Lando Norris extends lead over Oscar Piastri

LAS VEGAS - Red Bull's Max Verstappen continued his red-hot run with a stellar showing on the Strip, winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix for a second time in three years after taking advantage of a first-lap mishap by McLaren's Lando Norris.

Norris, the polesitter and championship frontrunner, made what could only be called a recklessly aggressive move in an attempt to block Verstappen from overtaking him on the inside. As a result, Norris briefly went off the track and rejoined in third place after Verstappen gained the lead and Mercedes' George Russell moved into second.

Norris regained second place from Russell on an uncontested overtake on Lap 34 and attempted to make a late push to surpass Verstappen for the win. But it proved to be a futile attempt, and Verstappen only lengthened the gap as Norris hung onto second place despite late issues.

Saturday's win marks Verstappen's eighth consecutive podium finish and his fourth win in the last seven Grand Prixs. The four-time defending champion remains an outside threat to win a fifth straight title. He now trails Oscar Piastri by just 12 points for second place and Norris by 42 points for the lead with two weekends remaining on the calendar.

Although his two-race win streak was snapped, Norris gained six more points on Piastri, taking a 30-point lead over his teammate atop the World Drivers' Championship standings entering next week's Qatar Grand Prix.

Russell rounded out the podium with a third-place finish, posting another successful weekend in Las Vegas after winning the Grand Prix in 2024. Russell's Mercedes teammate and rookie Kimi Antonelli also notched an impressive performance and crossed the line in fourth place after starting 17th on the grid. However, he was assessed a five-second penalty for moving before the lights went out at the start of the race and officially finished fifth.

Turn 1 brought more drama on the first lap, as Piastri narrowly dodged what would have been a championship-deciding incident. VCARB's Liam Lawson made contact with Piastri and was forced to retire from the race due to front wing damage, but Piastri avoided severe damage himself and was able to continue his growingly unlikely title bid.

--Will Despart, Field Level Media