Norris leaves Vegas with one hand on the crown as Verstappen keeps the lights on
Lando Norris couldn’t slam the door in Las Vegas, but he did push it most of the way shut. A scruffy launch from pole was all the invitation Max Verstappen needed on the Strip, and the world champion did what world champions do: grabbed the lead, grabbed the 25 points, and kept the title fight alive deep into November.
Norris, though, walks away the big-picture winner. Second place nudges the Brit closer to a maiden championship with two rounds to run. He couldn’t clinch it in Vegas, but he could’ve knocked Verstappen out of contention. The Dutchman wasn’t having that. With a maximum of 58 points still on the table, Verstappen sits 42 behind Norris. It’s a long shot — and precisely the kind of long shot Verstappen tends to relish.
Oscar Piastri is still dangling on the fringes too. The Australian took the flag in fifth, then inherited fourth after Kimi Antonelli copped a five-second penalty for a false start. The rookie Italian had driven with steel up to that point, holding Piastri at bay and, in doing so, offering George Russell some crucial breathing room as Mercedes nursed a podium home.
That podium — plus Antonelli’s penalised P5 — handed Mercedes 25 points for the night and some serious control of P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. Red Bull’s race win wasn’t quite enough to keep pace over the season, with the gap now 32 points to Mercedes and Ferrari slipping 52 off second after banking just nine points in Sin City.
Williams left with the kind of tidy haul that keeps accountants smiling. Carlos Sainz delivered six points in P7 to move the Grove team to 117 and strengthen its grip on fifth. Racing Bulls added four, remain sixth, and will know there was more on the table: Liam Lawson’s race was kneecapped by lap-one contact with Piastri that left damage and turned the evening into a long slog to 16th, a lap down.
Aston Martin and Haas both came up empty, but the fight for seventh stays spicy — just two points between them with Aston on 72 and Haas on 70. Sauber, quietly one of the stories of the run-in, stretched its points-scoring streak to four straight thanks to Nico Hülkenberg and sits on 64. Alpine brings up the rear on 22.
As for the drivers’ order, a few things are now nailed down. Verstappen can’t finish lower than third. George Russell is effectively locked into fourth, too — well clear of Charles Leclerc, who himself looks certain for fifth and now sits 73 ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, still searching for rhythm in this era, could yet match his lowest season finish of seventh; Antonelli is just 17 points back and smelling blood.
Two races left. One title to settle. You can feel it tightening.
F1 Drivers’ Championship after the Las Vegas GP
1. Lando Norris – 408
2. Oscar Piastri – 378
3. Max Verstappen – 366
4. George Russell – 291
5. Charles Leclerc – 222
6. Lewis Hamilton – 149
7. Kimi Antonelli – 132
8. Alex Albon – 73
9. Isack Hadjar – 47
10. Nico Hülkenberg – 45
11. Carlos Sainz – 44
12. Oliver Bearman – 40
13. Fernando Alonso – 40
14. Liam Lawson – 36
15. Lance Stroll – 32
16. Esteban Ocon – 30
17. Yuki Tsunoda – 28
18. Pierre Gasly – 22
19. Gabriel Bortoleto – 19
20. Franco Colapinto – 0
21. Jack Doohan – 0
Constructors’ Championship after the Las Vegas GP
1. McLaren – 786
2. Mercedes – 423
3. Red Bull Racing – 391
4. Ferrari – 371
5. Williams – 117
6. Racing Bulls – 86
7. Aston Martin – 72
8. Haas – 70
9. Sauber – 64
10. Alpine – 22
