Lando Norris Moves Closer to Championship as Max Verstappen Secures Las Vegas F1 Race Victory

The McLaren Lando Norris moved nearer to a maiden championship with second place in the Vegas race behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen

Norris now leads fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth after Mercedes' George Russell, by 30 points heading to the penultimate race in Qatar next weekend

Norris will win the championship in the Qatar as long as he does not lose more than five points to Piastri in Losail, or seventeen to Verstappen

The Australian driver, so impressive in the first half of the season, has not finished on the top three for six consecutive events

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

"It's still a good result to get second. I've got to congratulate Verstappen and his team"

After Qatar, the final race of the season follows in Abu Dhabi on December 7th

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

• Norris continued his momentum towards the championship despite the victory to Max Verstappen

• Piastri's difficult performance streak continued as his championship chances wane

• A superb victory for Verstappen to keep him in the title fight

• Fightbacks for the two Ferrari drivers, following a tough qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton securing a single point for tenth place following starting at the back

At the start, Norris was faithful to his claim that he was "not present to avoid risks" as he fought hard to defend his advantage from starting first from Max Verstappen

However following an aggressive cut in front of Verstappen to block the Dutchman's attack on the inner line, the McLaren driver miscalculated his braking zone and ran deep into the turn

That enabled Verstappen to overtake into the first place while Norris also the runner-up spot to Russell

Through two virtual safety cars for some early incidents, including at the beginning when the Racing Bulls Liam Lawson made contact with Oscar Piastri, Verstappen gradually established dominance on the race

George Russell undertook an early pit stop for the more durable compound, but Norris and Verstappen stayed out

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

The Red Bull driver was able to rejoin still in the first place, George Russell having been failed to close in on the Red Bull car even with his newer rubber

Norris returned after George Russell from his stop but after a several careful circuits to let his tires to settle, quickly reduced his three-point-three second deficit to the Mercedes and overtook into second place on the thirty-fourth lap

The British driver inquired his race engineer how to manage the remainder of his race, essentially questioning whether he should settle for second or challenge for the lead

He was instructed to "chase down Verstappen" but it quickly became apparent he had little opportunity. Max Verstappen was readily able to defend against Norris' challenges, and in the final laps the gap increased substantially as the McLaren began to experience a technical issue which has so far not been defined

Even with dropping almost three seconds a circuit, Norris was could hold off Russell because of the extent of the lead he had built while pursuing Max Verstappen

The Red Bull driver's sixth victory of the season - only one behind both McLaren drivers - was achieved in emphatic style and keeps him in title contention, at minimum mathematically, even if he needs issues for Lando Norris in the final two events to pass him

"It's still a big gap, we consistently attempt to maximise everything we've got," Verstappen stated

"In upcoming weekends we will attempt to take victory in the event and by the conclusion of Abu Dhabi we will see where we end up, but I'm very proud of the entire team"

Oscar Piastri started in fifth but dropped two places on the opening lap after being clouted by Liam Lawson, who was soon taken out of the battle by a broken front wing

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

The Australian finished after Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who ran nearly the entire race on hard tyres after stopping during the first virtual safety car, but was awarded a five second time penalty for a starting procedure infringement, which was not clearly visible on replays

"It proved to be a disappointing event from essentially start to finish in certain respects," Piastri informed race broadcasters

Questioned about how he would tackle the remaining events, he commented: "Just attempt to put myself in the optimal situation I can. I clearly need several of factors to favor me at this stage to win, but all I can do is ensure I'm in the best position to take advantage if circumstances change"

Charles Leclerc hung on in sixth place, insufficiently close to benefit from Antonelli's penalty, while Sainz fell to seventh at the flag, his Williams missing the pace to compete with the top teams in the dry, after his impressive performance to start in third in the wet

Isack Hadjar secured eighth before the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg and Hamilton

The seven-time title winner executed a flying start, up to 13th on the opening circuit and continued to move forwards

He got stuck in a DRS train with a bunch of other cars but was could use his electric start to rescue a championship point after the worst qualifying session of his racing life