As the lights went out in Austin, Charles Leclerc made a strong launch to slot into second behind Verstappen, while Lando Norris split the two Ferraris, leaving Lewis Hamilton in fourth. Further back, a brief clash between Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon saw the Williams driver drop to the rear, though no further action was deemed necessary.
Carlos Sainz made early progress, executing a confident move on Haas’ Oliver Bearman for eighth, while Yuki Tsunoda surged up four places in the early laps to join the midfield fight. On lap seven, contact between Kimi Antonelli and Sainz ended the Williams rookie’s race and triggered a brief Virtual Safety Car period.
When racing resumed, the battle for second intensified. Norris applied heavy pressure on Leclerc, but the Monegasque managed to hold firm through the opening stint. Verstappen, meanwhile, extended his lead by more than 10 seconds as the McLaren and Ferrari duelled behind.
By lap 20, Leclerc’s soft tyres began to fade, allowing Norris to snatch second place after a prolonged scrap. Ferrari responded by pitting Leclerc for medium tyres, rejoining in ninth just ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Midway through the race, pit stops reshuffled the order but restored the familiar front-running group: Verstappen leading from Norris, with Leclerc third ahead of Piastri, Russell, and Hamilton. Behind them, Bearman and Tsunoda fought fiercely for seventh, with the Haas driver briefly running wide in his attempt to overtake.
As the laps wound down, Norris closed in on Leclerc once again, retaking second place with five laps remaining. Verstappen, unchallenged at the front, controlled the pace to secure his fourth victory of the season and reignite his title bid heading into the closing rounds.
2025 United States Grand Prix Race Results:
1) Max Verstappen
2) Lando Norris
3) Charles Leclerc
4) Lewis Hamilton
5) Oscar Piastri
6) George Russell
7) Yuki Tsunoda
8) Nico Hulkenberg
9) Oliver Bearman
10) Fernando Alonso
11) Liam Lawson
12) Lance Stroll
13) Kimi Antonelli
14) Alex Albon
15) Esteban Ocon
16) Isack Hadjar
17) Franco Colapinto
18) Gabriel Bortoleto
19) Pierre Gasly
DNF – Carlos Sainz
The 2025 championship battle remains alive and with just a handful of races left, the fight for the crown between Verstappen and his rivals is set to go down to the wire.
Who’s your pick for this season’s title? Let us know in the comments below.
Catch the 2025 US GP race highlights here.
