McLarens' crash into each other, giving Max an easy win at 2025 F1 USGP Sprint

The most recent Formula 1 2025 United States Grand Prix Sprint Race was quite dramatic and saw the retirement of both McLaren championship contenders on the very first lap. Championship contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were both forced to retire on Lap 1 after being involved in a collision at Turn 1. The Lap 1 crash brought out the Safety Car for five laps to clear the significant amount of debris.

However, this time it was not due to their rivarly but courtesy of Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) tagging Piastri, which then sent Piastri into his teammate Norris, eliminating both McLaren drivers early. Both McLarens were eliminated on the spot, as was Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who was also caught up in the melee. This was a massive blow to McLaren and the title fight.

This incident immediately sparked controversy, especially since the two McLaren drivers had a previous on-track run-in in the preceding Singapore Grand Prix. McLaren's Zak Brown notably blamed the collision on "amateur-hour driving" from other drivers, specifically pointing a finger at Hulkenberg. The result significantly heated up what was already a close title battle in the late stages of the season.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took the victory from pole position, his third consecutive Sprint win in Austin. George Russell (Mercedes) finished second, and Carlos Sainz (Williams) was third. After the restart, George Russell (Mercedes) was right on Verstappen's tail, and there was a tense wheel-to-wheel moment on Lap 8 when Russell attempted an aggressive move at Turn 12. Both cars ran off track, but Verstappen managed to hold the lead, and the incident was deemed a racing one.

Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and his teammate Charles Leclerc were involved in a fierce battle for P4, with Hamilton eventually getting the better of Leclerc. On Lap 16, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) lunged down the inside of Esteban Ocon (Haas) into Turn 1, locking up and collecting the Haas driver. Both cars were out, prompting a second Safety Car. Ollie Bearman (Haas) crossed the line P8 but was later handed a 10-second penalty for a battle with Kimi Antonelli, dropping him to the back and promoting Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) into the final points-paying position. The race ultimately ended behind the Safety Car.

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