Dutch racer Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on Sunday, October 19, leaving McLaren’s Lando Norris to win against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the battle for second place. While this grants Verstappen new points, the Red Bull driver must win at least one more race to catch up to Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri in the Formula One (F1) standings.
Despite placing fifth in the Austin race, Piastri is still most likely to win the F1 Drivers’ World Championship, with 346 points. Norris follows closely behind at 332 points, while Verstappen currently has 306 points. But if Verstappen keeps up his pace and continues to score significant points in the next five races, the last of the 2025 season, he may earn his fifth consecutive world championship after winning consistently since 2021.
“The chance is there,” the 28-year-old driver said. “We just need to try to deliver these weekends to the end of the year, so yeah, we’ll at least try whatever we can.”
Verstappen and Leclerc go in for a handshake after the Austin race, where Leclerc came in third. Photo from F1/Facebook