Las Vegas Grand Prix result: Max Verstappen wins as Lando Norris extends lead over Oscar Piastri

Initially, Norris was honest in his claim that he “wasn’t here not to take risks” as he fought hard to defend his pole position advantage over Verstappen.

But after a strong cut in front of Verstappen to avoid the Dutchman’s attack from the inside, Norris misjudged the braking point and entered deep into the corner.

This allowed Verstappen to move into the lead while Norris also lost second place to Russell.

With two virtual safety cars in some early incidents, including at the start when Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson collided with Piastri, Verstappen slowly took control of the race.

Russell stopped early for hard tyres, but Norris and Verstappen remained out.

Norris stopped five laps after Mercedes and Verstappen 10.

Verstappen was able to climb back into the lead, with Russell unable to get anywhere near the Red Bull despite his newer tyres.

Norris got back behind Russell from his pit stop but after a few cautious laps to allow his tires to settle, he quickly closed his 3.3 second lead to the Mercedes and swept into second place on lap 34.

Norris asked his engineer how he was going to proceed with the rest of his race, effectively asking him whether he should settle for second place or attack.

He was told to “go get Max” but it soon became clear he had no chance. Verstappen was able to fend off Norris’ attacks with ease, and in the final stages the gap widened significantly as the McLaren car began to suffer from a technical problem that has not yet been identified.

Despite losing nearly three seconds per lap, Norris was able to hold off Russell due to the size of the gap he gained while chasing Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver’s sixth win of the season – just one behind the McLaren drivers – came in emphatic style and kept him in the title hunt, at least mathematically, even if Norris needed problems in both of the remaining races to overtake him.