Max Verstappen’s victory at the United States Grand Prix felt like more than just another win. The four-time world champion took pole, sprint, and race victory in Austin, slicing into McLaren’s once-comfortable championship lead and breathing new life into the title fight with five races to go.
For months, McLaren’s dominance had seemed untouchable. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris looked destined to battle it out alone for the drivers’ crown. But in Texas, Verstappen reminded the world that he is not ready to surrender his throne just yet. His win, his fifth of the season, reduced Piastri’s advantage to 40 points and narrowed Norris’s deficit to 14. The Dutchman’s response to his resurgence was understated but full of belief. “For sure, the chance is there,” he said. “We just need to deliver these weekends until the end.”
It marked Verstappen’s seventh win in Austin, a circuit that has become almost a personal playground. From the moment he launched cleanly off pole, the race felt under his control. Even when a virtual safety car briefly halted proceedings after a clash between Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen’s rhythm never wavered. Behind him, chaos unfolded as Charles Leclerc’s bold tyre gamble threw McLaren’s strategy off balance.
Leclerc’s soft tyres gave him the jump on Norris at the start, forcing the Brit into a tense, race-long pursuit. Several failed attempts to pass the Ferrari at Turn 12 left Norris frustrated and overheating his tyres. “They’re gone,” he radioed. His engineer calmly told him to cool them and try again, advice that paid off when Norris finally dummied Leclerc five laps from the finish to take second.
Norris’s late surge proved McLaren still have the pace to fight. Team principal Andrea Stella agreed. “Performance-wise, we are reassured that the pace was sufficient to fight for the victory,” he said. But he also admitted that the team had played it safe on setup after their sprint crash on Saturday robbed them of data.
While Norris celebrated damage limitation, Piastri struggled. Fifth place was the best he could manage, the Australian unable to match his teammate’s pace. Still, he remained composed. “It just wasn’t very fast,” he said. “Some weekends it doesn’t click. But I still fully believe I can win the championship.”
For McLaren, this was a wake-up call. Red Bull’s upgrades have transformed Verstappen’s car since September, and the balance of power is shifting again. As Formula 1 heads into its final stretch, the fight between Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri is no longer a question of pace, but of nerve.
