Verstappen wins in Vegas, McLarens at risk of disqualification

LAS VEGAS :Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday to keep his Formula One title hopes alive while McLaren's championship leader Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri risked disqualification.

Norris, who started on pole and finished second, had stretched his lead over fourth-placed Piastri to 30 points before a post-race FIA inspection found excessive wear to their cars' rear skid blocks.

Similar breaches this season have led to disqualification.

If that is the case, the championship would be blown wide open with Norris's lead over Piastri returning to 24 points but Verstappen level with the Australian and two rounds remaining for a maximum 58 points.

George Russell, last year's winner of the floodlit race and like Norris making his 150th start, finished third for Mercedes but would move up to second with teammate Kimi Antonelli third.

Antonelli was fourth at the flag but dropped to fifth after a five-second penalty was applied for a jumped start.

Norris, who finished 20.741 seconds behind Verstappen, can still secure his first title in Qatar next weekend even if stripped of points. McLaren have already clinched the constructors' crown for the second year in a row.

QUITE A DECENT GAP

"The car was working pretty well, much more to my liking," said Verstappen, ferried to the podium with Norris and Russell in a LEGO pink Cadillac convertible driven by actor Terry Crews as fireworks lit up the sky over the Strip.

"It was at the end quite a decent gap."

It was the 69th win of Verstappen's career and his sixth of the season, as well as his 125th podium and eighth in a row in the 150th grand prix of Red Bull's partnership with Honda.

Norris lost the lead to Verstappen at the start, dropping to third when he ran wide at