Las Vegas Grand Prix result: Max Verstappen wins as Lando Norris extends lead over Oscar Piastri
Initially, Norris was correct in his assertion that Verstappen was “not here to not take risks” as he fought hard to defend the advantage of pole position.
But after making an aggressive cut in front of Verstappen to thwart the Dutchman’s charge on the inside, Norris misjudged the braking point and ran deep into the corner.
This allowed Verstappen to take the lead, while Norris lost second place to Russell.
Through two virtual safety cars in some early incidents, including Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson’s collision with Piastri at the start, Verstappen gradually stamped his authority on the race.
Russell made an early pit stop due to hard tyres, but Norris and Verstappen stayed out.
Norris stopped five laps after Mercedes and Verstappen’s 10th lap.
Verstappen managed to maintain his lead, while Russell could not get close to Red Bull despite his new tyres.
Norris was again behind Russell at his stop, but after a few cautious laps to allow his tires to calm down, he closed his 3.3-second gap on the Mercedes and moved into second place by lap 34.
Norris asked his engineer how he planned to run the rest of his race, effectively asking whether he should settle for second or attack.
He was told to “go and get Max” but it soon became clear that he had no chance. Verstappen easily managed to repel Norris’ attacks and the gap increased significantly in the closing stages when McLaren began to experience a hitherto unidentified technical problem.
Despite losing almost three seconds per lap, Norris was able to hold off Russell due to the size of the advantage he created while chasing Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver’s sixth win of the season – only one for every other McLaren driver – was taken in emphatic style, ensuring that Norris remains in contention for the title, at least mathematically, even if he needs problems in both remaining races to overtake him.
“It’s still a big difference, we’re always trying to maximize everything we have,” Verstappen said. he said.
“We’ll try to win the race next weekend and see where we get at the end of Abu Dhabi, but I’m proud of everyone.”
