Formula 1 in the USA
Verstappen shows McLaren: World champion wins in Austin
Updated 10/19/2025 – 10:58 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
The Red Bull driver wins the US Grand Prix with a demonstration and shortens the gap to the two championship leaders. There is a surprise behind it – and Nico Hülkenberg achieves a pleasing result.
Max Verstappen was able to further reduce the gap in the Formula 1 World Championship to the McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris: The defending champion won the US Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon local time and, with 306 points, is now only 40 points behind the championship leader Piastri (346), and Norris (332) is only 26 points behind.
Norris came second on the track in Austin, Texas, with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) surprisingly taking third place. His teammate Lewis Hamilton completed the pleasing result for the Scuderia with fourth place. Piastri only finished fifth.
For Nico Hülkenberg, the race ended with a sense of achievement: the only German in the field crossed the finish line in eighth place, finishing in the points for the first time since the beginning of July.
Verstappen, who was already over 100 points behind Piastri, can do even better next weekend when things continue in the thin air of Mexico City. Another week later there will be another sprint race in Brazil and a possible additional eight points for the winner. Mathematically, Verstappen could then take the championship lead for the first time this year.
The first few meters after the red light goes out are always crucial in Formula 1, often spectacular and on some courses there is a high risk of collision. Like in Austin. Up to a 15 percent gradient, then the route bends to the left of almost 180 degrees. Piastri and Norris should have been warned, especially after their much-discussed near-crash in Singapore.
Two weeks ago, both were able to continue driving after Norris overtook and touched Piastri’s car. After a discussion, Norris has to live with the consequences for the rest of the season – despite all the assurances of transparency, nobody at McLaren wants to reveal what they will look like.
Whatever it was, there was still a crash in Austin’s sprint. The question of guilt remained a matter of opinion. Piastri had tried to counter a Norris attack, moved inside and collided with Hülkenberg’s Sauber. He then hit the Norris car in such a way that neither of them could continue driving. “Taking more than one corner” was Norris’ first goal for the main race. Second place on the grid next to Verstappen, Piastri only made it to sixth place in qualifying.