Lando Norris Advances Closer to Championship as Max Verstappen Claims Las Vegas F1 Race Victory

The McLaren Lando Norris moved closer to a maiden world title 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 finished fourth behind the Mercedes of George Russell, by thirty points heading to the second-to-last race in Qatar next weekend

Norris will win the championship in the desert as long as he doesn't surrender over five points to Piastri in Losail, or seventeen to Verstappen

Piastri, so impressive in the first half of the championship, has not finished on the top three for six consecutive events

"Max had a strong performance. I erred early on and was overly aggressive on that first turn," stated Norris

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

After Qatar, the last event of the season follows in Abu Dhabi on 7 December

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

• Norris continued his progress towards the title losing the win to Max Verstappen

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

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

• Recoveries for both Ferrari drivers, following a difficult qualifying session, with Lewis Hamilton claiming a point for tenth place following beginning at the back

At the start, Lando Norris was true to his claim that he was "not here not to take risks" as he fought hard to defend his lead from starting first from Verstappen

However following an forceful move in front of the Red Bull driver to block the Dutchman's attack on the inner line, the McLaren driver misjudged his braking point and ran deep into the corner

That allowed Max Verstappen to overtake into the lead while the British driver lost second place to George Russell

Through two virtual safety cars for several opening-lap incidents, featuring at the beginning when Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson collided with Piastri, Verstappen gradually established dominance on the event

George Russell made an early pit stop for the hard tyres, but Norris and Verstappen stayed out

The McLaren driver pitted five laps after the Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen 10

Verstappen was could rejoin still in the first place, Russell having been unable to catch up on the Red Bull even with his fresher tyres

Norris returned after Russell from his pit stop but following a few cautious laps to let his tyres to warm up, quickly closed his three-point-three second gap to the Mercedes driver and swept by into runner-up position on lap 34

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

He was instructed to "go and get Verstappen" but it quickly became apparent he had no chance. Max Verstappen was easily could defend against Lando's attacks, and in the closing stages the margin extended substantially as the McLaren began to experience a technical issue which has thus far not been defined

Even with dropping nearly three seconds a circuit, Lando Norris was able to hold off Russell because of the size of the lead he had established while pursuing Max Verstappen

The Red Bull driver's sixth win of the championship - only one less than both McLaren drivers - was achieved in emphatic style and maintains him in title contention, at least mathematically, even if he needs problems for Norris in the final two events to overtake him

"It remains a big gap, we always try to maximise all we've got," Max Verstappen stated

"In upcoming weekends we will attempt to win the event and at the end of Abu Dhabi we will know where we end up, but I'm very proud of everyone"

Oscar Piastri began in fifth but lost two places on the first circuit after being hit by Liam Lawson, who was soon eliminated of contention by a damaged nose section

He trailed Lawson's teammate Isack Hadjar for the opening fifteen circuits before overtaking him on the Strip but also out to Charles Leclerc, who he was could repass during the pit-stop period

The Australian ended up behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who competed almost the whole event on hard tyres following stopping during the initial VSC, but was awarded a five second penalty for a start-line infringement, which was not clearly visible on replays

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

Questioned about how he would tackle the remaining events, he commented: "Just try to position myself in the optimal situation I can. I clearly require several of things to favor me now to win, but all I can do is make myself in the ideal situation to capitalise if circumstances change"

Leclerc hung on in sixth place, insufficiently close to gain from Kimi Antonelli's time penalty, while Sainz fell to seventh at the finish, his Williams lacking the pace to compete with the leading outfits in the dry conditions, after his impressive showing to qualify third in the wet

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

The seven-time champion executed a flying start, rising to thirteenth on the opening circuit and proceeded to move forwards

He became trapped in a slipstream group with a bunch of additional vehicles but was could employ his electric start to salvage a championship point after the worst qualifying session of his career