Formula 1: Max Verstappen wins in Las Vegas as Australia’s Oscar Piastri takes another title blowAaron KirbyThe NightlySun, 23 November 2025 1:32PMCommentsCommentsEmail Aaron Kirby
The Formula One driver’s championship remains a three-way shootout after Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but hopes of a first Australian champion since 1980 are fading fast after another frustrating day for Oscar Piastri.
The young Australian was left starting from the third row after a yellow flag in qualifying stifled his final flying lap, and the bad luck that dogged him in Vegas on Saturday remained there on Sunday (AWST).
As America’s biggest stars rubbed shoulders with racing royalty on the floodlit strip, including Beyonce and Jay Z, Piastri was forced wide at the first corner and took most of the race just to reclaim the position he started in.
Norris had only himself to blame for giving up pole position into the same turn, defending the reigning champion Verstappen so hard off the start he nearly put them both into a wall and then missed the apex as the Dutchman flew past on the outside.
And Verstappen never looked back, closing the gap to the McLaren pair, with Norris finishing second despite a late fuel issue and Piastri in fourth, at the top of the standings to 42 points with two rounds remaining.
Piastri avoided another devastating penalty on the opening corner after being squeezed off the track by the Racing Bulls, but wouldn’t have felt much relief as fifth became seventh.
He got one spot back as Kiwi Liam Lawson took front wing damage from the incident, but as championship rival Norris put in a fastest lap, the Australian slipped back down the order, Charles LeClerc bustling through the field with elbows out.
Fellow Ferrari ace Lewis Hamilton made up seven places himself on the opening lap and was back among the points inside 20 laps around the neon-gilded Vegas streets.
Piastri was called into the box on lap 22, but with defence in mind, and was hurt further by a slight delay on the front tyres.
However, the 24-year-old found his pace on the hard tyre, putting in multiple fastest laps as he slowly clawed in Mercedes young gun Kimi Antonelli, with Leclerc’s momentum slowed by a pit stop, who was attempting a one-stop strategy after copping a penalty.
Norris added to Piastri’s frustrations as he reclaimed second from George Russell on lap 35.
Piastri appeared set to catch Antonelli, but as the closing stages played out tamely, he backed off and allowed the Italian’s five-second penalty to bump him into fourth.
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