Lando Norris Moves Closer to Title as Max Verstappen Claims Vegas Grand Prix Win

McLaren's Lando Norris stepped nearer to his first championship with runner-up position in the Vegas race following Red Bull's Max Verstappen

Norris currently heads fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth after Mercedes' George Russell, by thirty points heading to the second-to-last race in Qatar next weekend

Norris will secure the championship in the desert as long as he doesn't surrender more than five points to Piastri in Losail, or 17 to Verstappen

Piastri, so impressive in the opening stages of the season, has not finished on the podium for six consecutive events

"Max had a good race. I made the mistake at the beginning and was overly aggressive on that opening corner," stated Norris

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

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

The key stories of one of Formula 1's most prestigious races included:

• Norris maintained his momentum towards the title losing the victory to Max Verstappen

• Oscar Piastri's difficult run of form continued as his championship chances diminish

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

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

From the beginning, Lando Norris was faithful to his claim that he was "not present not to take risks" as he fought hard to protect his lead from pole position from Max Verstappen

However following an forceful cut in front of the Red Bull driver to block the Verstappen's challenge on the inside, Norris misjudged his braking point and went too deep into the turn

That allowed Verstappen to drive past into the first place while Norris lost the runner-up spot to Russell

Through two virtual safety cars for several opening-lap incidents, featuring at the start when Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson collided with Oscar Piastri, Verstappen slowly stamped his authority on the race

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

The McLaren driver stopped five laps following the Mercedes and Max Verstappen ten laps later

Verstappen was could return still in the lead, George Russell having been failed to catch up on the Red Bull car even with his newer rubber

Lando Norris rejoined behind Russell from his pit stop but following a several careful circuits to let his tyres to settle, quickly closed his three-point-three second deficit to the Mercedes and swept by into second place on the thirty-fourth lap

Norris asked his race engineer how to manage the remainder of his event, effectively asking whether he should settle for second or attack

He was instructed to "go and get Verstappen" but it soon became clear he had little opportunity. Max Verstappen was readily able to repel Norris' attacks, and in the final laps the margin increased substantially as the McLaren car started to experience a mechanical problem which has thus far not been defined

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

The Red Bull driver's sixth win of the championship - only one less than both McLaren drivers - was achieved in dominant fashion and keeps him in title contention, at minimum mathematically, even if he requires issues for Norris in the final two events to overtake him

"It remains a significant margin, we always try to maximise everything we've have," Verstappen stated

"During the coming events we will try to take victory in the race and at the end of Abu Dhabi we will know where we finish, but I'm very proud of the entire team"

Oscar Piastri began fifth but dropped two positions on the opening lap after being hit by Liam Lawson, who was soon eliminated of contention by a damaged front wing

He trailed Lawson's team-mate Isack Hadjar for the first 15 laps before passing him on the Las Vegas Strip but lost position to Leclerc, who he was able to overtake again during the tire change phase

Piastri ended up after the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who competed nearly the entire race on the durable compound following pitting during the first virtual safety car, but was given a five second time penalty for a start-line infringement, which was not immediately obvious on video reviews

"It proved to be a frustrating event from pretty much start to finish in some ways," Oscar Piastri told BBC Radio 5 Live

Asked about how he would tackle the remaining events, he said: "Just attempt to put myself in the optimal situation I can. I clearly need several of things to favor me now to take the title, but my only option is make myself in the ideal situation to take advantage if something happens"

Charles Leclerc held on in sixth place, not close enough to gain from Antonelli's penalty, while Carlos Sainz fell to seventh place at the finish, his Williams car lacking the pace to compete with the top teams in the dry, after his heroic performance to start third in the wet

Isack Hadjar took eighth place before Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time champion executed a flying start, up to 13th on the first lap and continued to advance positions

He became trapped in a DRS train with a bunch of additional vehicles but was could use his electric start to rescue a point following the poorest qualifying session of his career