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November 14, 2025
Max Verstappen bolstered his late-season surge towards the Formula 1 title with a commanding F1 US GP Sprint victory as McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri crashed out on the opening lap.
The Dutchman delivered a flawless race, maintaining his lead from start to finish, and crossed the line with a margin of over three-tenths of a second ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, while Carlos Sainz took a surprise third for Williams.
From lights-out, Max Verstappen executed a perfect start from pole position, immediately pulling into the lead with confidence and composure.
Just behind him, Lando Norris held the inside line as the pack approached Turn 1—a tight right-hander infamous for first-lap incidents—positioning aggressively to defend and gain places, while Oscar Piastri attempted a risky switchback move alongside his teammate.
However, their maneuver was disrupted when Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri’s car, subsequently sending the Australian crashing into Norris.
The impact damaged both McLaren cars severely with Norris losing a wheel and spinning out while Piastri suffered suspension damage, forcing the duo to retire immediately without completing a lap.
McLarens crash triggered a chain reaction, also tagging Fernando Alonso who was forced to retire immediately as his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto became entangled in the debris, creating a scene of utter confusion and havoc in the sprint’s earliest moments.
The incident on Lap 1 abruptly brought out the safety car which neutralized the race for five laps while the track was cleared of the wrecked McLarens.
The early interruption erased the field’s initial spread, setting the stage for a tightly packed contest once the sprint race resumed.
At the restart, Verstappen immediately asserted his dominance, controlling the pace expertly from George Russell and Carlos Sainz who capitalized on the opening lap chaos to climb into second and third, respectively.
Verstappen maintained a commanding lead throughout the sprint by setting consistent fastest laps which allowed him to build a 2.7-second advantage that no challenger could breach.
However, his commanding lead was erased by a late incident involving Stroll who collided with Esteban Ocon’s Haas at Turn 1 with just a few laps remaining.
The crash was severe enough to bring out the safety car, which effectively ended the race behind the safety car and cemented Verstappen’s third straight F1 US GP Sprint victory without further on-track battles.
The win coupled with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri crash bolstered Verstappen’s campaign for a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship, earning him eight vital points in the ongoing 2025 F1 title battle against team Papaya.
2025 F1 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race Results
Lando Norris leads Nico Hulkenberg in F1 US GP practice, Charles Leclerc suffers mechanical issues
Meanwhile, George Russell finished a tight second, just 0.395s adrift, while Sainz’s third place finish marked yet another surprise Williams podium after breaking the drought in Azerbaijan just a month ago.
The midfield battle was energized by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton who rounded out the top five, followed by Alex Albon in the second Williams.
Notably, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda emerged as a standout in the midfield melee after launching a remarkable charge from 18th to an impressive seventh by the race’s conclusion.
Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes held steady in eighth, while Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten delivering solid points for Racing Bulls and Alpine, respectively.
The midfield battle remained highly competitive with Kick Sauber drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 11th and 13th respectively, separated by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar in 12th.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto finished 14th, while Haas’ Oliver Bearman rounded out the classified finishers in 15th place.
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