RACE REPORT | F1 USA 2025

Max Verstappen claimed a commanding win at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, leading every lap and never looking in danger. The Red Bull driver made a clean start from pole and controlled the race from the front to take another dominant victory.

At the start, Verstappen held the lead up the hill into Turn 1. Behind him, Charles Leclerc made a bold move around the outside of Lando Norris to grab second, while Lewis Hamilton moved up to fourth and Oscar Piastri climbed to fifth after passing George Russell. Further back, Alex Albon went wide after contact with Gabriel Bortoleto, causing brief yellow flags. Yuki Tsunoda gained four places to ninth, and Carlos Sainz made early progress in his Williams.

By Lap 5, Verstappen was already three seconds clear of Leclerc. The Ferrari soon came under heavy pressure from Norris, who was clearly faster. Hamilton and Piastri followed close behind.

The race’s first major moment came on Lap 7 when Sainz tried to pass Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Turn 15. The two touched, spinning the Mercedes into the gravel. Sainz retired with damage, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car, while Antonelli rejoined in 18th.

After the restart, Verstappen quickly pulled away again. Leclerc and Norris fought for second, allowing the Red Bull to extend his gap. Both McLaren drivers began to complain about tyre wear, while Fernando Alonso and Nico Hülkenberg moved into the top ten.

By Lap 14, Verstappen led by four seconds. Norris kept attacking Leclerc, but the Ferrari defended well and complained about Norris exceeding track limits. After several laps of pressure, Norris finally overtook Leclerc on Lap 21 at Turn 12. Soon after, Leclerc had to defend from Hamilton before pitting for medium tyres.

At half distance, Verstappen led by over 10 seconds and looked in complete control. Behind him, the pit stops began. Tsunoda switched to soft tyres first, followed by Piastri and Hamilton. Norris stopped on Lap 33 but lost time and came out behind Russell. Verstappen pitted one lap later and easily stayed ahead.

Once everyone had pitted, Verstappen led from Leclerc and Norris, with Hamilton, Piastri and Russell behind. A small incident between Bearman and Tsunoda caused more yellow flags, but both continued.

In the final laps, Norris caught Leclerc again and passed him once more at Turn 12 to reclaim second place. Leclerc couldn’t fight back as his tyres were worn out and had to settle for third.

Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Piastri and Russell, with Tsunoda, Hülkenberg, Bearman and Alonso rounding out the top ten. Antonelli recovered to 13th after his early spin, while Sainz was the only retirement.

Verstappen crossed the line almost eight seconds ahead of Norris – another smooth, controlled win for the four-time world champion, showing once again why he remains the driver to beat.

Thanks to this victory, Verstappen has reduced his gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points. Norris remains second in the standings, 14 points behind his McLaren teammate.

Race results

1st Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2nd Lando Norris (McLaren) +7.959
3rd Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +15.373
4th Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +28.536
5th Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +29.678
6th George Russell (Mercedes) +33.456
7th Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +52.714
8th Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) +57.249
9th Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1:04.722
10th Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1:10.001
11th Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1:13.209
12th Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1:14.778
13th Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1:15.746
14th Alexander Albon (Williams) +1:20.000
15th Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1:23.043
16th Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1:32.807
17th Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1 lap
18th Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) +1 lap
19th Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1 lap
20th Carlos Sainz (Williams) DNF