Lando Norris Edges Closer to Title as Verstappen Takes Vegas Grand Prix Win

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

The British driver currently heads teammate Oscar Piastri, who ended up fourth after the Mercedes of George Russell, by 30 points going into the penultimate race in Qatar next weekend

The Briton will secure the championship in the desert as long as he does not lose more than five points to Piastri in Losail, or seventeen to Verstappen

The Australian driver, so strong in the first half of the season, has failed to finish on the podium for six races

"Max had a strong performance. I erred early on and was too punchy on that opening corner," stated Norris

"It remains a good result to get second place. I've got to praise Max and his team"

Following Qatar, the last event of the championship takes place in Abu Dhabi on December 7th

The main developments of one of Formula 1's most high-profile races included:

• Lando Norris maintained his progress towards the championship despite the win to Verstappen

• Oscar Piastri's challenging performance streak persisted as his championship chances diminish

• A excellent victory for Verstappen to maintain him in the title fight

• Recoveries for the two Ferrari drivers, following a tough qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton securing a single point for 10th after beginning at the rear

At the start, Lando Norris was true to his statement that he was "not here not to take risks" as he battled aggressively to defend his advantage from pole position from Verstappen

However following an forceful move in front of Verstappen to block the Dutchman's attack on the inside, Norris miscalculated his braking zone and ran deep into the turn

This enabled Verstappen to drive past into the lead while Norris also the runner-up spot to George Russell

During two VSC periods for some early incidents, including at the start when Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson made contact with Piastri, Verstappen gradually stamped his authority on the race

George Russell undertook an early tire change for the more durable compound, but Lando Norris and Verstappen stayed out

Norris stopped five laps following the Mercedes and Max Verstappen ten laps later

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

Lando Norris returned behind 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 gap to the Mercedes and overtook into runner-up position on the thirty-fourth lap

Norris inquired his race engineer how to run the remainder of his event, essentially questioning whether he should accept second or challenge for the lead

He was told to "chase down Max" but it soon became clear he had little opportunity. Max Verstappen was readily could defend against Norris' challenges, and in the final laps the margin increased substantially as the McLaren car began to suffer a mechanical problem which has so far remained unidentified

Despite dropping almost three seconds a lap, Lando Norris was able to defend against George Russell because of the extent of the advantage he had built while chasing Verstappen

The Verstappen's sixth win of the championship - only one less than both McLaren drivers - was taken in emphatic style and keeps him in title contention, at minimum theoretically, even if he requires issues for Lando Norris in the final two events to overtake him

"It's still a big gap, we consistently attempt to maximise all we've have," Max Verstappen stated

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

Oscar Piastri began in fifth but dropped two places on the first circuit following being hit by Liam Lawson, who was soon taken out of contention by a broken nose section

He followed Lawson's teammate Isack Hadjar for the first 15 laps before passing him on the Strip but also position to Charles Leclerc, who he was could overtake again during the pit-stop period

The Australian ended up behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who ran nearly the entire race on hard tyres following pitting during the first virtual safety car, but was given a five second penalty for a starting procedure violation, which was not clearly visible on replays

"It proved to be a frustrating event from essentially start to finish in some ways," Piastri told race broadcasters

Questioned about how he would approach the final two races, he commented: "Just try to position myself in the best position I can. I clearly need several of things to go my way now to win, but my only option is ensure I'm in the best position to capitalise if circumstances change"

Charles Leclerc held on in sixth position, insufficiently close to benefit from Antonelli's penalty, while Carlos Sainz dropped to seventh at the finish, his Williams lacking the pace to compete with the top teams in the dry, after his impressive performance to qualify in third in the wet weather

Isack Hadjar secured eighth ahead of Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg and Hamilton

The seven-time champion executed a flying start, up to thirteenth on the first lap and proceeded to advance positions

He got stuck in a slipstream group with a bunch of additional vehicles but was able to use his strong beginning to rescue a championship point after the worst qualifying session of his racing life