Max Verstappen wins the Sprint Race at Austin, the second consecutive race of this format, taking advantage of the sensational accident that eliminated both McLarens on the first lap. It was a day to forget for the Woking team, which saw precious championship points slip away. George Russell and Carlos Sainz also finished on the podium, ahead of the two Ferrari drivers.
Chaos at the first corner
The choice of medium tires was unanimous, given the prohibitive temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius (119 degrees Fahrenheit). Some drivers, including Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, and Lawson, opted for used medium tires, but the real story of the race was written right at the start.
Verstappen got off to a great start pole position, but chaos broke out behind him. The incident saw Piastri carefully maneuver around his teammate, finding a gap to rejoin on the inside, but Hulkenberg was already there. The impact then hurled the Australian into Norris, ending the race prematurely for both drivers.
It was a devastating blow for McLaren: Norris was immediately eliminated, Piastri forced to retire with suspension damage after a failed attempt to pit. Stroll was also involved in the initial collisions.
LAP 1 / 19
- Formula 1 (@ F1) October 18, 2025
What a DRAMATIC start to this Sprint, with a first corner collision between the top-two in the championship! 😱# F1Sprint #USGP pic.twitter.com/eVRnFjzFuZ
Verstappen controls, Russell tries
Yuki Tsunoda was the main beneficiary of the chaos, climbing from eighteenth to seventh place. After five Safety Car laps, the race restarted with DRS active on lap seven.
George Russell quickly closed to within a second of Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz third just outside the DRS zone and Lewis Hamilton fourth with DRS on his teammate. The Mercedes driver went all out on lap nine with a late inside braking move, but excessive speed sent both him and Verstappen wide. The Briton was unable to complete the overtake, later paying the price for that attack with increased tire degradation.
Meanwhile, Hamilton overtook Leclerc after the Monegasque driver made a mistake, joining the fight with the Ferraris. Spaniard Sainz held onto third place, 2.3 seconds ahead of Russell and 2.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Despite leading the race, the Dutchman complained over the radio about the lack of rear grip in the high temperatures, with the car losing grip not only in the final corner but at various points on the track.
Two-thirds of the way through the race, Russell had exhausted his chances of winning. The attempted overtaking had compromised his tires, putting him more than two seconds behind Verstappen and out of contention for the win. The gap continued to widen lap after lap.
Battle between young talents and final Safety Car
In the finale, a thrilling showdown ensued between two former Formula 2 teammates with Prema: Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The two battled for eighth place, with the Briton making aggressive defenses, resulting in all four wheels going off the track. The stewards handed Bearman a ten-second penalty, effectively handing the point to Antonelli and demoting Ollie to last place.
On lap seventeen, another dramatic turn of events occurred: Lance Stroll attempted to overtake Esteban Ocon on the inside at Turn 1 from too far away, locking his wheels and hitting the Frenchman. Both cars went off the track, with Stroll on three wheels before retiring for good. The Safety Car returned to the track, and the race ended behind the safety car.
The final standings
Max Verstappen thus took the Sprint victory, reducing the gap to Piastri in the standings to 55 points. A perfectly controlled performance from the Dutchman, who converted his pole position into eight valuable points, capitalizing on the early elimination of both his McLaren rivals. This is his thirteenth career sprint race victory.
George Russell finished second and Carlos Sainz third on the podium. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth, Alexander Albon sixth, Yuki Tsunoda seventh, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli eighth after Bearman's penalty.
For McLaren, a nightmare day that reshuffles the cards in the race for the 2025 title, with Verstappen forcefully returning to contention thanks to this third consecutive victory in the Texan Sprint Race.
