Lando Norris Advances Nearer to Title as Verstappen Takes Las Vegas F1 Race Victory

The McLaren Lando Norris moved closer to a maiden championship with runner-up position in the Las Vegas Grand Prix following Red Bull's Max Verstappen

The British driver now leads fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who finished in fourth place behind Mercedes' George Russell, by 30 points heading to the second-to-last race in Qatar this coming weekend

Norris will secure the title in the Qatar as long as he does not lose over five points to Piastri in Losail, or 17 to Verstappen

Piastri, so strong in the first half of the championship, has not finished on the podium for six races

"Max had a strong performance. I made the mistake at the beginning and was too punchy on that first turn," said Norris

"It's still a positive outcome to secure second place. I've got to praise Max and his team"

Following Qatar, the final race of the championship takes place in Abu Dhabi on 7 December

The key stories of one of Formula 1's most high-profile races included:

• Norris maintained his momentum towards the championship losing the win to Verstappen

• Oscar Piastri's challenging run of form continued as his championship chances wane

• A superb victory for Max Verstappen to keep him in the championship battle

• Fightbacks for both Ferrari drivers, following a tough qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton securing a point for tenth place after starting at the rear

From the beginning, Lando Norris was faithful to his statement that he was "not here not to take risks" as he battled aggressively to protect his lead from starting first from Max Verstappen

But after an forceful cut in front of Verstappen to head off the Dutchman's challenge on the inside, Norris miscalculated his braking point and ran deep into the turn

This allowed Max Verstappen to drive past into the lead while the British driver lost the runner-up spot to George Russell

Through two VSC periods for several opening-lap incidents, featuring at the start when Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson made contact with Piastri, Verstappen gradually established dominance on the event

George Russell undertook an early tire change for the more durable compound, but Norris and Verstappen remained on track

Norris stopped five circuits after the Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen ten laps later

Verstappen was able to rejoin still in the lead, George Russell having been unable to catch up on the Red Bull car even with his fresher tyres

Norris rejoined after George Russell from his pit stop but following a few cautious laps to let his tires to settle, soon closed his three-point-three second deficit to the Mercedes driver and overtook into runner-up position on the thirty-fourth lap

The British driver asked his race engineer how to manage the rest of his race, essentially questioning whether he should accept second place or challenge for the lead

He was told to "go and get Max" but it soon became clear he had no chance. Max Verstappen was easily able to defend against Norris' challenges, and in the final laps the gap increased significantly as the McLaren began to experience a technical issue which has thus far remained unidentified

Even with losing almost three seconds a lap, Norris was could defend against George Russell because of the extent of the advantage he had built while chasing Verstappen

The Red Bull driver's sixth win of the season - only one less than both McLaren drivers - was achieved in emphatic style and maintains him in championship contention, at minimum mathematically, although he needs problems for Lando Norris in both remaining races to pass him

"It remains a significant margin, we consistently attempt to optimize all we've got," Verstappen stated

"During the coming events we will attempt to take victory in the event and by the conclusion of Abu Dhabi we will see where we finish, but I'm very proud of everyone"

Piastri began in fifth but lost two places on the first circuit following being hit by Liam Lawson, who was soon taken out of the battle by a broken front wing

He trailed Liam Lawson's teammate Isack Hadjar for the opening fifteen circuits before passing him on the Strip but also position to Charles Leclerc, who he was could repass during the tire change phase

The Australian finished after Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who ran almost the entire race on the durable compound after pitting during the initial VSC, but was given a five second penalty for a starting procedure violation, which was not clearly visible on replays

"It was a frustrating event from pretty much start to finish in some ways," Oscar Piastri told race broadcasters

Questioned about how he would approach the final two races, he said: "Just attempt to put myself in the best position I can. I obviously require quite a lot of things to favor me now to take the title, but all I can do is make myself in the best position to take advantage if circumstances change"

Leclerc hung on in sixth place, not close enough to benefit from Antonelli's time penalty, while Sainz dropped to seventh at the finish, his Williams missing the speed to compete with the top teams in the dry conditions, after his heroic showing to qualify in third in the wet weather

Hadjar secured eighth place before Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg and Hamilton

The seven-time title winner made a strong getaway, rising to 13th on the opening circuit and proceeded to move forwards

He became trapped in a DRS train with a bunch of other cars but was able to employ his strong beginning to rescue a point following the poorest qualifying performance of his racing life