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Formula OneMax Verstappen continued to heap pressure on the McLaren duo of championship leader Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris by convincingly winning the 2025 United States GP. The reigning champion made it three wins from four rounds and closed the gap to the top to 40 points. With Verstappen over 100 points adrift only last month, could he do the unthinkable and steal the 2025 crown?
His performance in Texas certainly suggests so. A lights-to-flag victory had Verstappen not needing to look in his mirrors after the first lap. With pole position and a Sprint win coming one day earlier, the Dutchman's fortunes contrasted sharply with McLaren's. Piastri and Norris collided in the 19-lap Sprint, and both drivers seemed well off their early-season pace in the race. Nonetheless, a late pass from Norris secured P2, but it wasn't an easy race for the British driver.
Charles Leclerc was the primary thorn in Norris' side. Opting for the Pirelli Soft compound tyre for the race start, Leclerc's Ferrari benefited from extra grip in the opening metres. He started better than Norris to get alongside on the run to the wide Turn 1 hairpin, and used the momentum to take the inside of Turn 2. Norris' front row start became P3, and Leclerc's move caused consequences for the rest of the race.
Ferrari's tyre gamble went against the choices of the other teams. Most frontrunners chose the Mediums in the high temperatures in anticipation of a Medium-Hard one-stop strategy. McLaren might've expected Leclerc's early speed, but rather than fade away as the laps went on, his Pirelli's life continued extending and the Monegasque driver stayed in P2. This surprise led to most teams favouring a Medium-Soft tyre switch, contrary to expectations of requiring the white-walled Hards.
Far before pit stops were on anyone's radar, the 20 drivers became 19 as Carlos Sainz caused the race's sole slowdown. Buoyed by his P3 in the Sprint, the Williams driver passed Ollie Bearman at Turn 16 on the second lap and attempted to replicate the move on Lap 7. His nose on the inside of the corner took Andrea Kimi Antonelli by surprise. The two collided, sending Antonelli spinning into the gravel while Sainz pulled over to retire.
Perhaps assisted by a heat cycle from the VSC, Leclerc's tyres continued giving the Ferrari driver grip in P2. Norris spent his race on the tail of the scarlet car, but was unable to pass. A series of uninspired attempts to pass saw Leclerc easily fending off Norris at the stadium section of the circuit. The futile attempts had Norris passing the white line defining the track limits, too, and the stewards issued the black-and-white flag, leaving the McLaren man on the verge of a time penalty.
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The pass did eventually come for Norris, but only one lap before Leclerc pitted. Ferrari left Leclerc out for one more lap after the pass to leave their driver in the path of Lewis Hamilton's sister car. Rather than invoke team orders, the two battled throughout the lap and cost each other time, with Leclerc eventually peeling into the pit lane to be the first of those at the front to stop. That proved consequential for the race, too, with Leclerc emerging into clear air with fresh Medium Pirellis to execute a strong undercut.
Norris finally pitted on Lap 33 for Softs after having a lock-up at Turn 12. Leclerc's extra laps with new tyres had him retake a net P2 in the pit lane, and Norris found himself three seconds adrift of the Ferrari once again. He resumed chasing down Leclerc, but it'd take most of the remaining 24 laps to repass and take an extra step on the podium. A move finally came on Lap 51, and this time Norris surprised Leclerc by making the move at Turn 1 rather than his usual probes at Turn 12 and Turn 16. A late-braking move into the hairpin had him up on the inside, but unable to retain the position as Leclerc powered by on the corner exit.
It was a sign of intent, however, and the speed differential between the two drivers was on full display as Leclerc's harder tyres couldn't match Norris' Soft Pirelli speed. Reaching the back DRS straight saw Norris much closer than before. The McLaren driver powered by with his rear wing wide open to take P2 and gain three more points for his championship campaign. With Piastri driving an anonymous race in P5 and unable to overtake Hamilton, that meant it was an eight-point swing in Norris' favour, leaving him 14 points away from the championship lead.
Although Norris versus Leclerc dominated the TV broadcast, it was Verstappen who dominated the race. The Dutchman's victory means he's beaten both Piastri and Norris at every race since the Dutch GP, including Saturday's Sprint. If he can continue that form while the McLaren drivers take points off each other, then he will become the 2025 world champion and match only Michael Schumacher in securing five consecutive titles. The Mexico City GP is next up this weekend, and Verstappen has won five of the previous seven races at the high-altitude track... F1 2025 is looking like it will have a grandstand finish.
