RACE REPORT | F1 Las Vegas 2025

Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix ahead of George Russell, after both McLaren drivers were disqualified.

At the start, Norris made a strong launch and tried to hold off Verstappen, but he braked too late into Turn 1, ran wide, and Verstappen retook the lead immediately. The error also allowed Russell to move into second. Behind them, several cars touched in Turn 1, leaving debris across the track. Lance Stroll retired on the spot after Gabriel Bortoleto hit him, and Liam Lawson damaged his front wing.

Early on lap two, marshals were already close to the track removing debris while cars were still arriving at speed. There seemed to be confusion between race control and the marshals, creating an unsafe moment. Tsunoda and Lawson pitted right away, and the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. A few midfield drivers used it to make an early stop.

Racing resumed on lap four. Bortoleto soon retired due to the heavy damage from the first-lap collision. At the front, Russell stayed within range of Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc began to climb through the field. He moved past Piastri and then overtook Hadjar as well.

Further back, Alex Albon hit Lewis Hamilton and broke his front wing, earning a five-second penalty. Kimi Antonelli was also given a five-second penalty for moving before the start lights. Another short VSC came on lap 15 to remove more debris. Piastri used the restart to pass Hadjar, and Fernando Alonso pitted soon after.

Russell stopped for hard tyres on lap 17 and rejoined in seventh. Others followed over the next few laps. Hadjar and Piastri switched to hards as well, and then Sainz and Norris pitted. Norris came back out in fourth, while Sainz rejoined just ahead of Piastri, but the McLaren driver passed him quickly thanks to the undercut.

Leclerc made his stop on lap 25 and emerged ahead of Sainz. Verstappen pitted at the end of the same lap and kept the lead without any difficulty. As the race moved into its second half, Hamilton and Hulkenberg changed to mediums.

Antonelli was running strongly in fourth after switching to hard tyres at the start, and there was still uncertainty over whether he would need another stop or try to reach the finish on that set.

On lap 34, Norris overtook Russell into Turn 14 for second place and sat about five seconds behind Verstappen. Albon later retired, and Piastri began to close on Antonelli, with Leclerc right behind them. Piastri tried a move into Turn 14 but ran wide, and Leclerc almost took advantage.

Antonelli defended impressively for several laps, keeping both Piastri and Leclerc behind him. Piastri attacked multiple times but couldn’t make anything stick. Up front, Verstappen stayed in control with a steady six-second lead.

With five laps left, Norris had to slow down as McLaren told him to save fuel, though he kept second place. Verstappen took a comfortable win. Antonelli pushed hard to create a gap before the finish, and once his five-second penalty was applied, he dropped only behind Piastri and claimed an excellent fifth place. Leclerc finished close behind in sixth, with Sainz seventh, Hadjar eighth, Hulkenberg ninth, and Hamilton tenth.

However, both McLaren drivers, Norris and Piastri, were disqualified after the race when both of their cars failed to meet the minimum thickness requirement for the rear skid block. As a result, Norris and Piastri were excluded from the final classification.

With two races left in the season, Verstappen has now reduced his deficit to Norris in the championship to just 24 points. Piastri, who sits second in the standings, is now tied with Verstappen, with McLaren driver ahead thanks to more race wins.

Race results

1st Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2nd George Russell (Mercedes) +23.546
3rd Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +30.488
4th Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +30.678
5th Carlos Sainz (Williams) +34.924
6th Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +45.257
7th Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) +51.134
8th Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +59.369
9th Esteban Ocon (Haas) +60.635
10th Oliver Bearman (Haas) +70.549
11th Fernando Alonso (Williams) +85.308
12th Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +86.974
13th Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +91.702
14th Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
15th Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1 lap

DNF – Alexander Albon (Williams)
DNF – Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)
DNF – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

DQ Lando Norris (McLaren) +20.741
DQ Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +27.650