Verstappen Sets Austin Ablaze: US Grand Prix Victory Extends F1 Dominance
19 October 2025
Race Day Triumph in Austin
Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver and four-time world champion, kept his remarkable run alive by taking the top spot at the United States Grand Prix, round 19 of the Formula 1 World Championship in Austin.
It was Verstappen's fifth win of the season, following victories in Japan, Emilia Romagna, Italy, and Azerbaijan, and his third in the last four races, bringing his career total to 68. He beat McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc of Monaco as the podium battle raged until the final laps.
Verstappen completed a flawless weekend, winning the sprint on Saturday and starting from pole before crossing the line first, collecting 35 points, including 15 toward the championship as Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri finished fifth in the race.
As the race wore on, Norris narrowed the gap behind Piastri to 14 points while Verstappen extended his overall lead to 306 points to Piastri's 346 and Norris's 332. Verstappen equaled Sebastian Vettel with 122 career podiums and became the most successful driver at the United States Grand Prix with seven wins (4 in Austin, 2 in Miami, 1 in Las Vegas). Hamilton sits one win behind him.
Verstappen said: "It's an incredible weekend. I knew the race would be tough given the pace difference with Lando, and we used that to stay ahead and keep the lead." He added that the title opportunity remains if they continue delivering performances like this weekend.
Leclerc, who won last year’s US GP for Ferrari, led the 56-lap race at Austin before finishing second, with Norris dropping to fourth after a late penalty that shuffled the order.
The midfield fight featured Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, George Russell, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, and Franco Colapinto among the top ten finishers.
The piece also notes Verstappen’s Dutch roots, highlighting his rise from karting prodigy in Hasselt, Belgium, to a four-time world champion racing under the Dutch flag, with his father Jos Verstappen and mother Sophie Kumpen as early inspiration.
Numbers and records continued to fall for Verstappen, who remains a dominant force in the sport and is now a record-holder in several categories at the US GP.
Punchline: If speed limits applied to my internet, I’d finally download a race without buffering.
Punchline: The only thing faster than Verstappen’s lap times is the rumor that my alarm clock finally learned how to sleep in.
