Verstappen Snatches Las Vegas Win From Norris In A Wild 50-Lap Fight

Max Verstappen took the Las Vegas GP win after passing Lando Norris at the start, and the early move changed the whole race. Norris lost time, lost positions, and never came close again, finishing almost 21 seconds behind. Verstappen cut the championship gap to 42 points, and the race felt like his from the first lap itself.

A Start That Changed Everything

The opening laps looked chaotic the moment the lights went out. Verstappen got a better launch, and when Norris ran wide at Turn 1, the momentum tipped instantly. Norris had gone defensive early, but it hurt him instead, and Verstappen slipped through with no trouble. The McLaren had strong pace through the weekend, but after sliding off, Norris fell behind Russell too, and the pressure kept stacking on him.

By the time he cleared Russell later in the race, Verstappen was already way ahead, cruising with clean air and almost no threat across those long Vegas straights.

Norris Struggles Through Late Race Issues

Norris had more problems than just the slow start. His car didn’t respond well in the last part of the race, and McLaren even confirmed he was nursing a late issue. That forced him to slow down, avoid pushing, and settle for second instead of going for a fight. It was visible on the timing screens too, with his lap times dropping sharply in the final few laps.

The result means his lead in the championship shrinks to 42 points now, which suddenly makes the title fight a little tighter than last week.

Russell Hangs On To A Hard-Earned Podium

George Russell had one of those steady but stressful races. His Mercedes had a steering problem, and he even complained that the car felt strange through corners, but still he kept the pace tight enough to stay ahead. His teammate Kimi Antonelli came flying from P17 and reached Russell’s gearbox in the last minutes, but couldn’t hold his position after a penalty.

Antonelli gave one of the strongest drives of the day, finishing P4 on the road before a five-second false start penalty pushed him to P5. Even then, he ended the day just ahead of Leclerc by a tiny margin of one-tenth.

Piastri Recovers After Early Hit

Oscar Piastri had to fight harder than most. He dropped to seventh when Liam Lawson tapped him at Turn 1, and that spin cost him time and rhythm. Still, he kept pushing and slowly worked back up the field. In the end, he grabbed P4 once the penalty reshuffled the order, bringing his championship gap down to 30 points behind Norris.

Leclerc finished P6 after climbing from P9 and staying consistent even when the chaos at the start knocked half the field around.

Sainz, Hulkenberg And Hamilton Close Out The Top Ten

Carlos Sainz had a calm but clever drive for P7. Nico Hulkenberg also pulled off a strong race on the hard tyre early on, finishing P9 for Kick Sauber. Lewis Hamilton took the final point from P10 after starting last and dealing with a collision when Albon hit the back of his car earlier in the race.

Behind them, Ocon and Bearman just missed points, while Alonso, Tsunoda and Gasly stayed stuck in the midfield without much chance to climb higher.

DNFs And Early Drama Shape The Backfield

Alex Albon retired after contact with Hamilton forced a front wing change and more damage later. Bortoleto and Stroll both ended their race early after Turn 1 chaos collected them.

The race kept throwing small shocks, but the top story stayed the same. Verstappen controlled everything. Norris tried to recover something, but Vegas wanted a different winner today, and Verstappen delivered that with ease.