Max Verstappen is definitely back in the Formula 1 title fight: after his victory in the sprint race on Saturday, the world champion in the Red Bull also wins the US Grand Prix in Austin.
19.10.2025, 22:52
19.10.2025, 22:56
SDA
After 56 laps on the Circuit of The Americas, Verstappen confidently won ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren and last year's winner Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. World championship leader Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren had to settle for fifth place behind record champion Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.
The Australian lost ground in the overall standings accordingly. With five Grands Prix still to go, he is still 14 points ahead of Norris and 40 ahead of Verstappen, who impressively confirmed his upward trend with his fourth win from the last five Grands Prix.
In Saturday's sprint, there was a crash immediately after the start, which led to McLaren's double retirement, among other things. This time, things were more civilized in turn 1. As with the start-finish victory the day before, Verstappen, who had again started from pole position, was able to assert himself right at the front. While Leclerc and Norris fought a fierce battle for second place over almost the entire race distance, the Dutchman in the Red Bull drove to his 68th GP victory in a controlled manner at the front.
Hülkenberg scores points for Sauber
After two weekends without a tangible result, Team Sauber was able to celebrate scoring four points thanks to Nico Hülkenberg's 8th place. The German, who started from 11th on the grid, benefited from a collision between Antonelli in the Mercedes and Sainz in the Williams in the early stages of the race and then remained in the points at all times. Gabriel Bortoleto in the second Hinwil car clearly missed out on the top 10 in 18th and penultimate place.
For Sauber, it was only the fourth time in thirteen years that a driver finished in the points in Austin. Previously, Marcus Ericsson finished tenth in 2018, Felipe Nasr ninth in 2015 and Hülkenberg sixth in 2013. In the Constructors' Championship, the Zurich-based racing team remains in 8th place out of ten teams with 59 points.
No title for Verstappen under his own steam
Max Verstappen is in a class of his own on the Circuit of The Americas. If you include the sprints, the four-time world champion has won an impressive seven out of eight races in Austin since 2021. He won the Grands Prix in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025 and the sprint races in 2023, 2024 and this year. The only exception: Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix in 2024.
In the title fight with Piastri and Norris, Verstappen's current form is clearly in his favor. After the summer break, the defending champion has never finished lower than second, while the McLaren duo have only achieved five out of a possible twelve podium finishes. Just four Grands Prix ago, Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri. In the meantime, the gap to the championship leader has shrunk by more than half.
Despite the impressive race to catch up, Verstappen still cannot become world champion again under his own steam. If he were to win all five remaining Grands Prix and two sprints, he would have 447 points at the end of the year. And if Piastri always finishes second at the same time, the Australian will end up with 450 points.
Verstappen therefore still needs help to win the title. The race continues in a week's time with the Mexican Grand Prix.
Ecclestone: Verstappen will be world champion
For former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, the case is clear: Verstappen will also be world champion this season. The 93-year-old has clearly positioned himself on the title issue with a provocative assessment to the Bild newspaper. "All the signs at McLaren point to Lando Norris winning the title," said Ecclestone. "That's why he, in second place, and championship leader Oscar Piastri are taking points away from each other - and Max is doing it again."
