Verstappen's flawless US Grand Prix win tightens F1 title race

AUSTIN, Texas :Red Bull's Max Verstappen dominated the U.S. Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, leading every lap to take another significant chunk out of Oscar Piastri's Formula One championship lead on a perfect weekend in Texas.

McLaren's Piastri finished fifth with his teammate and closest rival Lando Norris second after passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, last year's winner, five laps from the chequered flag.

Piastri now leads Britain's Norris by 14 points with five rounds and two sprints remaining, while Verstappen has slashed his gap to the Australian to 40 after being 104 behind at the end of August. 

Verstappen also won the Saturday sprint from pole position at Austin's Circuit of the Americas, while the McLarens collided and retired, on a weekend of maximum points for the four-times world champion.

"For sure, the chance is there," Verstappen said of the title battle. "We just need to try and deliver these weekends until the end.

"We will try whatever we can. It's exciting," he added after his third win in the last four races and 68th of his career.

Norris lost out to Leclerc, on the faster but less durable soft tyres, at the start and then took 21 laps to find a way back past as the Monegasque held a defensive masterclass.

Leclerc then battled with Lewis Hamilton, who started on mediums, before pitting on lap 23 and coming back out in ninth place with his teammate moving up to third and Piastri to fourth.

Verstappen by then was 10 seconds down the road from his closest rival and enjoying an untroubled afternoon in the Texan sunshine.

Once the rest of the frontrunners had made their pitstops, Leclerc was again second on the road - but more than six seconds behind Verstappen - with Norris third and having to overtake