Max Verstappen dazzles with victory in Las Vegas: 'Very proud of everyone'

Published on 23 November 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen has won the Las Vegas Grand Prix. A strong start proved key to the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver’s victory. Starting from second on the grid, Verstappen got away well. Lando Norris attempted to block the Dutchman, but the McLaren driver braked too late into the first corner, allowing Max to take the lead. The win was never in danger afterwards, as Verstappen claimed his second victory in the gambling capital. Norris finished second, 20 seconds behind Verstappen, cutting Max’s deficit to the championship leader to 42 points. George Russell completed the podium for Mercedes.

After the race, a broadly smiling Max said: “I am happy with this, and I did not expect it. After practice we were not sure what the tyres were going to do. Even during the race everyone was trying to find a rhythm, seeing how hard you could push, especially in the first stint, because we were on the more fragile tyre. But it worked really well. The race is a tough one for us, we are normally not great on tyres, but today we had that a bit more under control and I could push more. That unlocked a bit more pace and I was able to stay out a bit longer and split the race in half. That definitely helped a lot. The car worked pretty well and was much more to my liking. At the end we had a decent gap, every lap felt comfortable.”

Verstappen confirmed the start was crucial: “The start definitely helped, otherwise you might get stuck behind in the first stint. We had good pace on the hard tyres, but getting past someone is another matter. Norris closed the door aggressively and then braked way too late, which worked out perfectly for me.”

Norris was urged by his team in the final stages to chase down Verstappen. Max explained: “I heard that too,” he laughed. “That just motivated me even more, which has the opposite effect for them.”

Asked whether he can now cautiously think about the championship, Verstappen responded: “It is still a big gap. We are trying to maximise what we have, and for us that was the win this weekend. In the coming races we will try again to win, and after Abu Dhabi we will see where we are. But I am very proud of everyone. We have had ups and downs and tough times, but also really beautiful moments. We have learned a lot this season, which is valuable for the coming years. We have to cling onto that and keep improving so we can come back stronger next year and fight for the championship from the start. For now we will enjoy this, and next weekend we will see what we can do.”

After a wet qualifying session, the 50-lap Las Vegas Grand Prix starts in dry conditions. The entire top ten lines up on medium tyres, while Nico Hülkenberg in P11 is the first of five drivers on the hard compound. Kimi Antonelli starts from P17 as the only driver on soft tyres, while Yuki Tsunoda begins from the pit lane. Verstappen gets a strong launch from P2, diving down the inside of polesitter Lando Norris. The McLaren driver defends aggressively, but then brakes too late into Turn 1, enabling Verstappen to seize the lead. Norris is immediately attacked by George Russell, who snatches second place.

Behind them, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri make contact, damaging Lawson’s front wing. Gabriel Bortoleto crashes into Lance Stroll at Turn 1, and Stroll in turn spins Pierre Gasly. Both Stroll and Bortoleto retire with damage. A Virtual Safety Car follows, ending on lap four. After the restart, Russell remains close behind Verstappen, staying within DRS for several laps before Max begins to edge clear, dropping the Mercedes out of range. Norris runs a steady third, followed by Carlos Sainz and Isack Hadjar, with Piastri in sixth.

On lap 12, Piastri makes a mistake at Turn 12, allowing Charles Leclerc to take P6. Lap 14 sees Alexander Albon damage his front wing on the back of Lewis Hamilton, scattering debris and triggering a brief Virtual Safety Car. Russell pits first among the leaders on lap 18, switching to hard tyres and rejoining in P7. Norris pits on lap 23 for the same compound, emerging just behind Russell in fourth.

Verstappen makes his mandatory stop on lap 26, also changing to hard tyres and retaining the lead just ahead of Russell, with Norris rejoining in P3. On fresh hards, Norris closes in on Russell and finally overtakes him for P2 on lap 34 at the end of the Strip. He then begins the chase for Verstappen. Albon becomes the race’s third retirement after parking his Williams in the pits on lap 37.

At the front, Verstappen keeps Norris at bay, the gap fluctuating around six seconds. Late in the race, Norris is forced to save fuel, allowing Max to take an unchallenged sixth Grand Prix victory of the season. Verstappen also sets the fastest lap on the final tour. Norris finishes 20 seconds down in P2. Championship leader Norris now leads Piastri by 30 points and Verstappen by 42 with two race weekends remaining. Russell finishes third, followed by Piastri in fourth. Antonelli takes fifth despite a five-second penalty for a false start, ahead of Leclerc in sixth. Sainz finishes seventh, with Hadjar, Hülkenberg, and Hamilton completing the top ten.

Update: 

Following the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Norris and Piastri have been disqualified: on both McLarens the skid (the plank underneath the car) was less than the minimum 9 millimeters thick required by the technical regulations. This double disqualification puts Max on level on points with Piastri and decreases his gap to Norris to 24 points. With just a sprint race and race in Qatar, and final battle in Abu Dhabi remaining, the title fight has taken an unexpected and dramatic turn in the closing phases of this memorable Las Vegas weekend.

Results Grand Prix Las Vegas: