AUSTIN: Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen cruised to an easy victory Saturday in a crash-filled United States Grand Prix sprint race that saw McLaren teammates and championship leaders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both knocked out in the first turn when their cars collided.&nbsp;The loss of both McLaren cars early that could have a huge impact on the season championship as McLaren mechanics now face the challenge of fixing both cars before qualifying for the main event.&nbsp;Verstappen started Saturday&rsquo;s sprint on pole with Norris second and Piastri third. Kick Sauber&rsquo;s Nico Hulkenberg tried to make a dive under Piastri into the first corner and instead bumped cars and sent Piastri crashing into Norris.&nbsp;Norris&rsquo; car spun and bounced, and a rear wheel was knocked off. Piastri&rsquo;s car suffered suspension damage.&nbsp;A late-race crash between Aston Martin&rsquo;s Lance Stroll and Haas driver Esteban Ocon forced the 19-lap event to finish behind a safety car.&nbsp;The result allows Verstappen, who is making a late-season charge at a possible fifth consecutive Formula 1 championship, to pull within 55 points of leader Piastri with six grand prix and two more sprint races on the season.&nbsp;Because both McLarens were taken out of the race, Piastri maintains his 22-point lead over Norris. Both drivers are chasing their first season championship.&nbsp;It was the second straight race with contact between the two McLarens. They nearly crashed in Singapore when Norris bumped tires with Piastri on the opening lap.

Racing

Max Verstappen dominated the United States Grand Prix sprint after McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collided on the first lap. The crash ended both drivers’ races and dented McLaren’s title hopes ahead of Sunday’s main event.

Verstappen wins dramatic US Grand Prix sprint, McLarens crash

Reuters

SINGAPORE: George Russell drove a flawless race from pole position to win the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday ahead of Red Bull&#39;s world champion Max Verstappen. Briton Russell took the chequered flag under the lights of the Marina Bay street circuit 5.4 seconds clear of Verstappen to claim his second victory of the season. Lando Norris put pressure on Verstappen towards the end of the race but had to settle for third ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, the pair earning enough points to seal a second consecutive constructors&#39; title for McLaren. Piastri&#39;s lead over Briton Norris in the drivers&#39; standings was cut to 22 points, while Verstappen is 63 points behind the Australian with six races remaining in the season. The celebrations for the constructors&#39; title in the McLaren garage might be muted, however, with Piastri fuming at the way Norris forced his way past his teammate on the opening corner. Kimi Antonelli was a distant fifth in the other Mercedes with Charles Leclerc sixth ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso was eighth for Aston Martin, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz, who started at the back of the grid after the Williams cars were disqualified from qualifying, took the final points in ninth and 10th. Russell got away to a clean start from pole with Verstappen behind him but Norris, who started fifth, clipped the back of the Dutchman&#39;s Red Bull as he forced his way up the inside of Piastri on the first corner. Norris sustained some damage to the front end of his car and Piastri expressed his discontent on the team radio at his teammate&#39;s manoeuvre, accusing the Briton of &quot;barging him out of the way&quot;. The stewards gave the incident the all clear and McLaren said they would look at it after the race with Piastri again railing at what he said was the unfairness of the decision. Verstappen was the first of the leaders to pit and tore around the track to ensure Norris would not be able to undercut him when the Briton changed his tyres seven laps later. Norris asserted his right as McLaren&#39;s lead driver to pit ahead of Piastri, whose discontent with the team would not have been improved by a notably slower stop than his teammate. Verstappen was 3.5 seconds behind Russell at the halfway stage and ended the race clinging on to keep second place from Norris rather than chasing a third straight race win.

October 5, 2025 McLaren celebrate after winning the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors (Reuters)

George Russell won the Singapore GP from pole, ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, while McLaren secured their second consecutive constructors' title.

Articles tagged with "Max Verstappen"

Verstappen wins dramatic US Grand Prix sprint, McLarens crash

George Russell wins Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren take constructors' title

Verstappen wins dramatic US Grand Prix sprint, McLarens crash