When the lights went out at the Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen launched cleanly from pole position to keep the lead into the steep uphill Turn 1. Behind him, Charles Leclerc made a brave move around the outside to pass Lando Norris for second place, while Lewis Hamilton gained a spot to move into fourth. Oscar Piastri made a strong start too, fighting his way past George Russell into fifth.

Further down the field, Alex Albon went off after light contact with Gabriel Bortoleto, briefly bringing out yellow flags. Yuki Tsunoda made the best start of anyone, climbing four places to ninth, while Carlos Sainz also gained ground after overtaking Oliver Bearman’s Haas.

By Lap 5, Verstappen was already three seconds clear of Leclerc, setting the tone for the afternoon. The Ferrari driver soon found himself under pressure from Norris, who was just half a second behind and clearly faster. Behind them, Hamilton was keeping close watch in fourth, with Piastri right on his tail.

The first big incident came on Lap 7, when Sainz attempted to overtake Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Turn 15. The two cars made contact, sending the Mercedes driver spinning into the gravel. Sainz’s Williams suffered heavy damage and had to retire, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Antonelli rejoined but dropped to 18th.

When racing resumed, Verstappen quickly rebuilt a two-second lead, with Leclerc and Norris still battling hard behind. Both McLaren drivers began to report tyre wear, suggesting they might have to make two pit stops instead of one. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso moved into the top ten thanks to the earlier incident.

By Lap 14, Verstappen had extended his lead to four seconds, and Leclerc’s grip on second place was under real threat. Norris attacked several times but was forced to back out, and Leclerc complained on the radio that the McLaren was exceeding track limits. The duel allowed Verstappen to stretch his advantage to almost seven seconds.

After several attempts, Norris finally made a clean pass on Leclerc on Lap 21 at Turn 12, moving into second place. Leclerc soon came under pressure from team-mate Hamilton, and the two Ferraris came close to contact before Leclerc pitted for medium tyres, dropping to ninth.

As the race reached half distance, Verstappen was more than 10 seconds clear of Norris and managing his tyres perfectly. The Dutchman calmly reported that conditions were becoming tricky, but he continued to control the pace. Behind him, the field began its first round of pit stops. Tsunoda was one of the first to switch to soft tyres, followed by Piastri and Hamilton. Norris pitted on Lap 33 but a slightly slow stop left him behind Russell. Verstappen stopped one lap later and easily rejoined in the lead.

Once all pit stops were complete, the top order settled with Verstappen leading from Leclerc and Norris, followed by Hamilton, Piastri and Russell. Behind them, there was drama when Bearman and Tsunoda made contact, spinning the Haas and bringing out yellow flags. Both continued, but Bearman dropped down the order.

In the closing stages, Norris began to close on Leclerc again, while Verstappen managed his tyres carefully to keep a steady seven-second lead. The McLaren driver made another move with just a few laps to go, overtaking Leclerc once more at Turn 12 to reclaim second place.

Leclerc tried to respond, but his tyres were finished and he had to settle for third. Hamilton held off late pressure from Piastri to finish fourth, while Russell took a solid sixth. Tsunoda, Hülkenberg, Bearman and Alonso completed the top ten, with Lawson narrowly missing out on points in eleventh.

Antonelli recovered from his early spin to finish thirteenth, ahead of Albon, Ocon, Hadjar, Colapinto, Bortoleto and Gasly. Carlos Sainz was the only driver who failed to finish after his Lap 7 collision.

When Verstappen crossed the line, his lead over Norris was just under eight seconds — a clear sign of his dominance. It was another faultless drive from the four-time world champion, who once again made victory look effortless.

2025 United States Grand Prix results: