Verstappen Dominates Austin Piastri’s Lead Shrinks

In the United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was dominant. He took the lead early on and never relinquished it, despite an early safety car. Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, once again did not have a flawless race. The Australian did not get further than P5 and saw Verstappen close a significant number of points again.

Lando Norris impressively recovered from his early retirement on Saturday and fought his way past Charles Leclerc in the final stages to grab second place. Leclerc eventually finished third. The Ferrari driver could not fend off Norris’s attack, despite several robust defensive attempts. Behind the top three, there was plenty of action. An incident occurred at turn 15, where Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz collided. The Williams driver had to abandon his race. Later in the race, Oliver Bearman provided some spectacle with a daring but unsuccessful overtaking attempt on Yuki Tsunoda. The young Brit spun out and lost a position.

With five races and two sprint races to go, the tension in the championship is back in full force. Thanks to his double victory in Austin, Max Verstappen has significantly reduced the gap with Piastri. While Piastri still had a decent margin, the momentum has now clearly shifted to the reigning world champion.