Verstappen wins US Grand Prix and McLaren’s Norris pulls closer to teammate Piastri in F1 title hunt

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen raced to his third victory in four races Sunday at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, while McLaren’s Lando Norris took a huge chunk out of teammate Oscar Piastri’s championship lead by finishing second.

Piastri was a distant fifth, allowing Norris to pull within 14 points with five grand prix and two sprint races to go.

Verstappen is also closing fast with his late-season charge. Verstappen now trails Piastri by 40 points, and Norris by 26, in third place, and has put the McClarens on notice he intends to chase them all the way to the end of the season.

Piastri and Norris are trying to win their first career drivers championship. Verstappen is hunting his fifth in a row, and his dominant form of late has given him a real chance to get it. He also won the sprint race Saturday after the two McLarens ran into each other on the first turn and crashed out.

“It was an unbelievable weekend for us,” Verstappen said. “The chance is there. We just need to try to deliver these kind of weekends until the end.”

Norris’ late pass of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second earned him a crucial position and points as he chases Piastri and hopes to hold off Verstappen over the final stretch of the season.

“It was a good battle with Charles. He fought hard,” Norris said. “We’ll have to take second. No more we could have done today.”

Verstappen started on the pole Sunday and was never challenged for the lead. He built a 10-second lead by the halfway point as Norris and Leclerc drove a furious battle for second.

Piastri’s day never got going. He started sixth and quickly made up a spot in the first few corners but was stuck there for the rest of the race.

Piastri’s lead is rapidly shrinking under pressure. He hasn’t won since the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 31 and hasn’t finished on the podium the last three races.

The series next heads to Mexico City, where Verstappen has five career victories at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.