Max Verstappen Wins in Las Vegas, But the Race Takes an Unexpected Turn
Max Verstappen secured his second victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, keeping his championship hopes alive. The leader, Lando Norris, initially took second place, but was later disqualified along with his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, due to illegal plank wear. The decision was made five hours after the race, adding tension to the championship.
Verstappen is now tied in points with Piastri, and Norris’s lead is reduced to 24 points. With two Grand Prix remaining, including a sprint race at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix, the championship is more open than ever.Verstappen dominated the Las Vegas race by almost 21 seconds, while Norris experienced problems with his car. Norris’ disqualification benefited the Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who now move up to the podium.
Piastri finished in a distant fourth place. Verstappen, after a difficult start after the summer break, has resurfaced in contention, winning four of the seven races since then. The Dutch driver took control of the race on the first lap, overtaking Norris and Russell.
McLaren hoped to catch Verstappen in the final laps, but a late problem in Norris’s car caused him to fall back. Piastri, who started fifth, could have had a better position if it weren’t for the incident with Liam Lawson in the first corner.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished sixth (now fourth) behind Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton, also of Ferrari, advanced from the back of the grid to tenth place (now eighth), in what was another disappointing weekend for the Scuderia.
Carlos Sainz from Williams finished seventh (now fifth), ahead of Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls and Nico Hülkenberg from Sauber.
