Max Verstappen secured a dominant victory at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, reigniting his Formula One title defence and narrowing the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri. The Red Bull driver finished ahead of title rival Lando Norris, who took second, while Piastri could only manage fifth from sixth on the grid.
The win cuts Piastri's lead to 40 points, with Norris now trailing his McLaren teammate by just 14 points. Verstappen, who admitted he would have dismissed any suggestion of a comeback after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, has now won three of the last four grands prix and one sprint race, erasing over half of Piastri's 104-point advantage.
Verstappen's resurgence has been aided by Red Bull's continued development of the RB21, addressing the narrow operating window that hampered performance earlier in the season. McLaren, meanwhile, ceased development of their car some time ago to focus on the 2026 model. Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged after Verstappen's sprint win and pole position that Red Bull could be the fastest car at every remaining race.
In the race, Verstappen held his lead from the start and was never challenged after Norris lost second place to Charles Leclerc at turn one. Leclerc's gamble on soft tyres paid off, but Norris fought back to reclaim second late on. Piastri, struggling for pace all weekend, could not mount a challenge as his championship lead shrank.
With five races and two sprints remaining, Verstappen's hopes for a fifth drivers' title remain a long shot, but his experience in closing out championships could prove decisive. The Dutch driver now brings pressure to bear on the McLaren duo in a tense run-in to the season.
