Max Verstappen had a perfect weekend in Austin, Texas, claiming the pole and winning both the sprint and grand prix races. As a result, Verstappen has now has seven race wins in the United States.
In stark contrast to Red Bull and Verstappen, McLaren had somewhat of a disastrous weekend.
Both McLaren racers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, crashed out on the opening lap of the sprint race, but were able to salvage the weekend. Norris finished second, while Piastri finished fifth.
Despite having secured the constructors’ title, an opportunity has emerged for Verstappen to steal the drivers’ championship from both Norris and Piastri. Verstappen needed to gain each points in each of the remaining races to stay in contention. He was able to gain 16 points this weekend.
Piastri still leads with 346 points. Norris and Verstappen trail behind with 332 and 306 points, respectively.
Additionally, the constructors’ battle for second place is only separated by 10 points, with Mercedes currently holding the lead with 341 points. Ferrari is second with 334, and Red Bull is next with 331.
Five races and two sprints remain. Piastri and Norris will need to regain their form quickly if they plan on fending off Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.
