AUSTIN, Texas — Red Bull's Max Verstappen continued his late-season push with victory Sunday at the Formula One United States Grand Prix, while McLaren's Lando Norris took the championship lead from teammate Oscar Piastri with a second-place finish.
Piastri was a distant fifth, keeping Norris within 14 points of a lead with five Grands Prix and two sprint races to go.
Verstappen, who took his third win in four races, is also closing fast and is now 40 points behind third-placed Piastri.
Piastri and Norris are chasing their first career championships. Verstappen is bidding for his fifth title in a row and his dominant form of late has given him a real chance of achieving it. He also won Saturday's sprint race after two McLarens collided with each other at the first turn and crashed.
Norris' late pass to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into second gave him a decisive position as he chases down Piastri and looks to hold off Verstappen in the final stretch of the season.
Verstappen started from pole position on Sunday and was never able to challenge for the lead. By mid-race he had increased his lead by 10 seconds as Norris and Leclerc fought a fierce battle for second place.
Piastri's day never began. He started sixth and quickly took the place in the first few corners, but was stuck there for the rest of the race.
Piastri's lead is rapidly shrinking under pressure. He has not won since the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31 and has not finished on the podium in the last three races. Piastri started the race with a 22-point lead over Norris and a 55-point lead over Verstappen.
The next series heads to Mexico City, where Verstappen has five career victories at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
