Norris Edges Nearer to Championship as Max Verstappen Takes Las Vegas F1 Race Win

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

Norris currently heads fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who ended up in fourth place after Mercedes' George Russell, by 30 points heading to the penultimate race in Qatar this coming weekend

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

The Australian driver, so strong in the opening stages of the championship, has failed to finish on the top three for six consecutive events

"Verstappen had a strong performance. I made the mistake at the beginning and was overly aggressive on that opening corner," said Norris

"It remains a positive outcome to secure second. I've got to praise Verstappen and his team"

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

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

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

• Piastri's challenging performance streak persisted as his title hopes diminish

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

• Recoveries for both Ferrari drivers, after a tough qualifying session, with Lewis Hamilton claiming a point for 10th after starting at the back

At the start, Lando Norris was faithful to his statement that he was "not here to avoid risks" as he battled aggressively to protect his advantage from pole position from Max Verstappen

However following an forceful cut in front of Verstappen to head off the Verstappen's challenge on the inner line, Norris miscalculated his braking zone and went too deep into the corner

That enabled Verstappen to overtake into the first place while Norris lost second place to Russell

Through two VSC periods for some early incidents, including at the beginning when Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson collided with Piastri, Max Verstappen gradually established dominance on the event

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

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

The Red Bull driver was able to return still in the lead, George Russell having been failed to catch up on the Red Bull even with his newer rubber

Norris rejoined behind George Russell from his pit stop but after a few cautious laps to allow his tires to settle, quickly reduced his 3.3-second gap to the Mercedes driver and overtook into second place on the thirty-fourth lap

The British driver asked his race engineer how to manage the rest of his race, effectively asking whether he should settle for second or attack

He was instructed to "chase down Max" but it soon became clear he had little opportunity. Verstappen was readily able to defend against Lando's attacks, and in the final laps the margin increased significantly as the McLaren began to suffer a technical issue which has so far remained unidentified

Even with dropping nearly three seconds a lap, Lando Norris was could hold off Russell because of the extent of the advantage he had established while chasing Max Verstappen

The Verstappen's sixth win of the championship - only one behind both McLaren teammates - was taken in emphatic style and keeps him in championship contention, at least mathematically, although he requires problems for Norris in the final two events to overtake him

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

"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 end up, but I'm very proud of everyone"

Piastri started fifth but dropped two positions on the first circuit following being hit by Liam Lawson, who was quickly taken out of contention by a damaged nose section

He trailed Liam Lawson's team-mate Isack Hadjar for the first 15 laps before passing him on the Strip but also out to Charles Leclerc, who he was could repass during the tire change phase

Piastri finished after Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who competed almost the whole event on hard tyres following pitting 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 frustrating race from pretty much start to finish in some ways," Piastri informed BBC Radio 5 Live

Asked about how he would tackle the final two races, he commented: "Simply attempt to put myself in the optimal situation I can. I clearly need several of factors to favor me at this stage to take the title, but my only option is ensure I'm in the best position to take advantage if something happens"

Leclerc held on in sixth position, not close enough to benefit from Antonelli's penalty, while Sainz fell to seventh at the flag, his Williams lacking the pace to challenge with the top teams in the dry, after his heroic performance to qualify third in the wet weather

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

The seven-time champion executed a strong getaway, up to thirteenth on the opening circuit and continued to advance positions

He became trapped in a slipstream group with a group of other cars but was able to employ his strong beginning to rescue a point after the worst qualifying session of his career