Norris on the Cusp of F1 Glory After Las Vegas Podium
In a thrilling night under the bright lights of Las Vegas, Max Verstappen secured victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. However, the real story of the race belonged to Lando Norris, whose second-place finish has positioned him tantalisingly close to claiming his first-ever Formula 1 World Championship.
A Costly Mistake and a Brilliant Recovery
Starting from pole position after mastering a wet qualifying session, Norris's hopes of a lights-to-flag victory were dashed almost immediately. As the race began, the McLaren driver switched across the track to block Verstappen's Red Bull, but carried too much speed into the first corner. This error forced him briefly off the track, allowing Verstappen to seize the lead.
A flustered Norris re-joined the circuit and nearly collided with the Dutchman, a moment of desperation that allowed Mercedes' George Russell to sweep past into second place. This dropped the championship contender to third in the opening moments of the grand prix.
Further down the field, there was drama as Oscar Piastri, Norris's McLaren teammate, tangled with Liam Lawson. The New Zealander broke his front wing in the incident, while a separate collision saw Gabriel Bortoleto wipe out Lance Stroll.
The Chase for Podium Positions
Verstappen managed the race from the front, building a steady lead over Russell. The Mercedes driver was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 17, with Norris following four laps later. These stops did little to change the order at the front, with Verstappen maintaining his advantage.
The critical moment for Norris came with 16 laps remaining. Having closed in on the struggling Russell, the British driver executed a clean overtake on the Las Vegas Boulevard on lap 34 to reclaim second place. With the position secured, his race engineer, Will Joseph, came on the radio with an ambitious order: "We are going to get Max."
This charge, however, proved too great a task. Verstappen was in a league of his own, crossing the finish line a commanding 20 seconds clear of Norris to take the chequered flag.
The Championship Picture Clears
With only two rounds remaining in the 2025 season, the points table makes for promising reading for Lando Norris. His second-place finish in Las Vegas means he now holds a 30-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth after Kimi Antonelli received a five-second penalty. More significantly, Norris is now 42 points ahead of the victorious Verstappen.
With just 58 points left available for the taking, the mathematics is simple: the 26-year-old Englishman could seal the world title at the next round in Qatar, potentially winning the championship with a race to spare.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton, who started last after a nightmare qualifying, managed to fight his way to a single point, a small consolation on another difficult weekend for the seven-time world champion.
