F1 USGP 2025 highlights: Max closes the points gap with a win, Charles on podium!

The USGP, officially the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix 2025, took place at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas and Verstappen had a near-perfect weekend, securing the Sprint Pole, winning the Sprint Race, taking the Grand Prix Pole Position and ultimately winning the Grand Prix Race. He built an early lead over Lando Norris in the first stint, allowing him to control the race and manage tire degradation better than anticipated, securing a dominant win.

The result significantly intensified the Drivers' Championship battle. Verstappen's victory allowed him to slash the points deficit to the championship leader, Oscar Piastri (McLaren). Piastri finished 5th, which, coupled with Verstappen's maximum points haul, meant the lead was cut to 40 points (Piastri 346, Verstappen 306).

Lando Norris's P2 finish also helped him gain ground on his teammate and championship rival Piastri. A major storyline was the disastrous first-lap collision between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the Sprint Race, which resulted in a double retirement for the team. Despite the heavy damage and pressure, both drivers were able to participate in Qualifying and the Grand Prix.

Back to back

The race was a tense, strategy-driven 56-lap battle, marked by the challenges of tire management, inconsistent grip levels and track limits drama. Charles Leclerc was the only driver in the top 15 to start on the Soft tires and made excellent use of them in the first quarter of the race, briefly holding P2.

Lando Norris used a clever overcut strategy and tire-cooling tactics late in the race, which allowed him to successfully re-pass Leclerc for P2 with just four laps remaining. He now has closed the gap to Oscar to 14 points and now has to make sure to keep Max and Oscar both at bay.

Carlos Sainz was handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race (Mexico) for causing an early-race collision with Kimi Antonelli. Yuki Tsunoda had a strong race, finishing P7. He also received two penalty points on his super license, bringing his total for the 12-month period to four.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.