Max Verstappen wins in Las Vegas as Lando Norris closes in on world title
By Philip Duncan, PA F1 Correspondent, Las Vegas
Lando Norris is on the verge of winning the world championship despite finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
A mistake by pole-sitter Norris at the opening corner dropped him to third behind Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.
But Norris moved clear of Russell with 16 laps remaining to take second place, with Oscar Piastri two positions back in fourth.
Norris is now 30 points clear of Piastri and 42 ahead of Verstappen with just 58 left on the table across the concluding two rounds.
It means the 26-year-old Englishman could secure the world title with a round to spare at next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Following the race, Verstappen, Norris and Russell were driven along the Strip to the Bellagio Hotel in a pink Lego Cadillac by actor Terry Crews.
Asked about the first corner, Norris said: “I just broke too late and it was my f-up.
“I let Max have a win. I wanted to put on a show, that’s why we are here in Vegas. Not my best performance but when a guy wins by 20 seconds it is because he has done a better job.”
Pressed again about his error at the opening bend, Norris said: “I f***** it up.”
Podium interviewer and 13-time race winner David Coulthard hastily interjected: “You can’t say that.”
Norris continued: “You have to be punchy at Turn 1 but I was too punchy. But I scored some good points so it is not like I am too disappointed. On to the next one.”
Norris mastered a wet qualifying session to put himself on pole position but could not follow up when the lights went out for Saturday’s star-studded show in Sin City.
Norris switched to the left side of the track to deny Verstappen a chance of launching his Red Bull underneath the British driver’s McLaren at the opening left hander.
But while he successfully kept Verstappen behind he carried far too much speed into the corner and briefly ran off the track to allow Verstappen a free pass for the lead.
A flustered Norris re-joined the circuit and then came within inches of colliding with Verstappen, and in his desperation to avoid a tangle, allowed Russell to draw alongside his compatriot and blast clear.
Further back Piastri was fortunate to avoid damage after he banged wheels with Liam Lawson following a banzai move by the New Zealander.
Lawson broke his front wing in the process and had to pit for repairs. There was chaos behind, too, with Gabriel Bortoleto wiping out Lance Stroll.
Lewis Hamilton, who started 20th and last following a nightmare qualifying session, navigated his way through the mess to make up eight places.
Verstappen resisted the early advances from Russell, and was two seconds clear of the Mercedes man, who was the first to pit on lap 17.
That briefly promoted Norris to second only for the championship contender to fall back behind Russell when he stopped for new tyres four laps later.
Verstappen was able to come in for tyres and keep his lead, and then the attention turned to Norris and whether he could clear Russell.
Russell was struggling to keep up with Verstappen and offered little resistance to Norris, who breezed ahead on the Las Vegas Boulevard on lap 34.
“We are going to get Max,” was the order to Norris from his race engineer, Will Joseph but the Dutchman’s lead never came under threat as he crossed the line 20 seconds clear.
Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, but a five-second penalty dropped him behind Piastri. The Australian was 34 points clear of Norris after the Dutch Grand Prix on the final day of August but his hopes of stopping his team-mate taking the title are hanging by a thread.
Charles Leclerc started ninth and finished sixth, four places ahead of Hamilton, who claimed a single point on another weekend to forget for the seven-time world champion.