AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 18: Sprint winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing waves in parc ferme during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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Max Verstappen steered his Red Bull to victory in an action-packed sprint race at the United States Grand Prix, gaining a huge boost in his championship fight.
Starting from pole position, the Dutchman notched up his second consecutive sprint win of the season and his overall 13th, finishing 0.395s ahead of George Russell of Mercedes behind the safety car as Lance Stroll crashed into Esteban Ocon on lap 16 of 19.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri faced a nightmarish start to the weekend. Having started the sprint in second and third respectively for McLaren, both drivers crashed out on the very first lap.
Piastri was tagged by the Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg at Turn 1, which sent the Australian crashing into his teammate and knocked both contenders out of the sprint.
The disastrous start from McLaren handed Verstappen a golden opportunity to chip away at the gap in the standings, now sitting 55 points behind leader Piastri and 33 away from second-placed Norris with six races and two sprints remaining in the season.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 18: Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren collide at turn one during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2025 in Austin, United States. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)
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Carlos Sainz put his Williams in a stunning third, with Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc rounding out the top five.
Further down, Alexander Albon claimed sixth place ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, while Kimi Antonelli managed to secure the last point available for the top eight finishers in his Mercedes.
Liam Lawson missed out on the points, finishing in ninth for Racing Bulls ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Nico Hulkenberg, who had an impressive fourth-place start, ended the sprint in a lowly 13th after the collision with the McLarens on the opening lap.
2025 United States Grand Prix Sprint Results
Here are the sprint race results at the Circuit of the Americas:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- George Russell (Mercedes): +0.395
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): +0.791
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): +1.224
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +1.825
- Alexander Albon (Williams): +2.576
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing): +2.976
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): +4.147
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls): +4.804
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): +5.126
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber): +5.649
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls): +6.228
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber): +6.624
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine): +8.006
- Oliver Bearman (Haas): +13.576
DNF
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yaraelshebiny/2025/10/18/2025-f1-united-states-grand-prix-sprint-results-verstappen-wins-at-cota-piastri-and-norris-collide/
