Lando Norris conceded he "fucked it up" at the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, in a mistake that proved costly to the outcome of the evening in Sin City.
Having started from pole, the 26-year-old lost the lead at the first corner, running wide and losing track position to Verstappen and George Russell.
He managed to overtake the Mercedes driver after the pit stop phase, with his compatriot ultimately coming home in third. However, the Dutchman proved elusive.
"I let Max have a win. Let him go, let him have a nice race," the 11-time grand prix winner joked after the 50-lap race.
"Nah, I just braked too late. It was my f-up... I wanted to put on a show, right? That's why we're in Vegas, I guess.
"No, it wasn't my best performance out there. But when a guy wins by 20 seconds, it's because he's just done a better job and they were quicker. So fun race out there, difficult as always, but good fun."
He later added he "fucked it up" during the post-race top-three interview with David Coulthard and actor Sam Worthington, something that could see him punished under the FIA stewards' penalty guidelines.
The McLaren driver also appeared to have to fuel save in the latter stages, using lift and coast to get his MCL39 over the line.
Despite that, he increased his F1 drivers' championship advantage over Oscar Piastri to 30 points with only two rounds, including one sprint, to go. Verstappen is now 42 points behind in the standings.
"Obviously, I've had a good run," Norris reflected after his two-round win streak came to an end at his 150th grand prix start.
"I think the pace was still good today. Max just drove a good race, and they were quick.
"I made the mistake into Turn 1. You've got to be punchy into Turn 1. I was just a bit too punchy, and that cost me.
"That's the way it is sometimes. Still a good result, second, and still good points. So it's not like I'm too disappointed. I've got to congratulate Max and Red Bull. They drove a good race. So, on to the next one."
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!