Verstappen Shines Under Vegas Lights as Norris Strengthens Championship Grip
The Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered exactly what everyone hoped for — chaos, speed, drama, and a finish that kept the championship storyline burning. And as the neon lights bounced off the Strip, Max Verstappen once again reminded the grid why he’s still one of the most relentless competitors in Formula 1. His win wasn’t just controlled — it was commanding. Every lap looked like it was being dialled in with total confidence, especially once he settled into the rhythm on tyres that had seemed unpredictable all weekend. It was a race where Verstappen felt comfortable early and stayed in control until the end.
But the bigger storyline sits just behind him. Lando Norris, who finished second, didn’t just bank good points — he extended his championship lead. Despite admitting he made a mistake in turn one and letting Verstappen slip away, Norris still managed to bring home a solid result that tightens his hold on the standings. He now sits 30 points clear of teammate Oscar Piastri, and 42 ahead of Verstappen, with only two races remaining. Even he admitted it wasn’t his sharpest performance, but in Vegas you don’t need perfection — just enough composure to cash in, and he did exactly that.
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Piastri, on the other hand, had a night that started rough and never fully settled. He was pushed wide at the start, spent long stretches stuck in traffic, and by his own admission made too many small errors to feel satisfied. In clean air he looked fast, but those moments were too few. His fourth-place finish keeps him mathematically alive for the title, but he knows a lot of things now need to break exactly his way.
Mercedes found mixed fortunes. George Russell delivered a gritty drive to third, though his tyres were pushed too hard while chasing Verstappen, leaving him hanging on by the end. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, charged brilliantly from P17 to P5 before a penalty dropped him out of contention for a top-four finish — but the raw pace was impossible to ignore. Toto Wolff openly questioned whether the team had pushed the drivers enough earlier in the season, hinting at a subtle frustration behind the scenes.
Ferrari had a tough evening too. Charles Leclerc called P6 “very disappointing” despite feeling he’d driven one of his cleanest races of the year, while Lewis Hamilton described the season as “the worst ever” after scraping a single point from a P19 start. Even with the recovery, his mood made it clear how heavy this campaign has felt.
So with Verstappen back on top in Vegas and Norris inching closer to a possible championship moment, the season now heads to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Two races. Fifty-eight points left. And a title fight that suddenly feels like Norris’ to lose — unless the chasing pack finds something special in the desert.
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