Max Verstappen Dominates 2025 United States Grand Prix to Cut Title Gap to 40 Points

Austin, Texas (October 20, 2025): Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass at the 2025 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, taking a lights-to-flag victory at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) ahead of Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). The Dutchman’s 68th career win narrows the championship gap to Oscar Piastri to just 40 points, as the McLaren driver could only manage fifth place in Austin.

Verstappen launched cleanly from pole and held his lead into Turn 1, while Norris suffered a slower getaway from the dirty side of the grid. That allowed Leclerc to swoop into second place in his Ferrari. Behind them, Lewis Hamiltonand Piastri both made gains, relegating George Russell to sixth, with Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz battling closely behind.

The opening laps saw early drama when Sainz and Antonelli collided on lap five, forcing the Williams driver to retire and sending the Mercedes rookie to the back of the field. The incident brought out a brief Virtual Safety Car (VSC)before racing resumed.

Once the race settled, Verstappen began to stretch his advantage over Leclerc, who was managing his soft tyres for a longer first stint. By lap 19, Verstappen had built a 7.5-second cushion, with Norris closing in on the Ferrari. After several failed overtakes, Norris finally passed Leclerc before the pit stops began.

Leclerc pitted early for mediums on lap 22, rejoining in ninth, while Piastri, Hamilton, and Norris followed suit. Verstappen made his only stop on lap 33, switching to new softs and emerging six seconds ahead of Leclerc. Norris, now on fresh rubber, once again hunted down the Ferrari and reclaimed second place on lap 51 after a tense DRS battle.

In the closing laps, Verstappen maintained his composure, cruising to victory 7.9 seconds clear of Norris, with Leclerc completing the podium. Hamilton took a solid fourth for Ferrari, while Piastri salvaged fifth ahead of Russell.

Further down the field, Yuki Tsunoda impressed with a strong seventh-place finish for RB, followed by Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) rounding out the top ten.

“An unbelievable weekend for us,” Verstappen said post-race. “The pace between myself and Lando was close, but that first stint made the difference. If we can keep this momentum, the championship fight is still very much alive.”

With 33 points gained from the weekend, Verstappen reignites his pursuit of Piastri’s championship lead heading into the final rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season.