Verstappen claims long-awaited win with sprint victory in Austin

The Red Bull driver claimed pole position for the 19-lap race in Austin, holding on throughout to increase his drivers' championship lead by two points over Lando Norris, who finished third.

That ended a nine-race wait for victory, across eight races and one sprint, as Verstappen led from start to finish, ensuring the momentum in the world championship battle swung firmly back in his favour.

Carlos Sainz ended second after Norris went too deep into Turn One on the final lap, though the McLaren driver fended off Charles Leclerc – who finished fourth – after a near-miss between the pair.

George Russell started slow but recovered to take fifth, one spot ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, while Haas pair Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg made up the top eight.

Red Bull had struggled amid Verstappen's winless run, but will now take confidence into qualification later on Saturday before Sunday's main-event race as he looks to extend his 54-point lead over Norris.

"It feels a bit like old times! I'm very happy. If you look at the whole race, Ferrari was also very quick," a relieved Verstappen concluded.

Norris was subsequently confirmed to be under investigation after the race for "driving erratically" in his final-lap battle with Leclerc.

Sprinting to the first placeMax P1 , SAI, NOR, LEC, RUS, HAM, MAG, HUL, Checo P9, PIA #F1 pic.twitter.com/2sgQbNmacd

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 19, 2024

With Verstappen's eight-point haul in the sprint, Red Bull have now managed points in 62 consecutive events, equalling the third-best run in F1 history (also Mercedes, 62, on two separate occasions).

Verstappen's next challenge will now be to end his eight-race wait in Grand Prix action for victory, which is his worst such streak since going 11 races without a win in 2020.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

3. Lando Norris (McLaren)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 339

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 285

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 250

1. McLaren - 522

2. Red Bull - 483