Verstappen maintains 100% sprint record to send alarm bells ringing for Norris

Max Verstappen maintained his 100 per cent sprint record this season to strengthen his advantage over Lando Norris in the battle for the F1 drivers' title.

Verstappen has now won all four sprints in 2024, and for the second season running, he clinched a sprint win in the United States by leading from pole position to the chequered flag over the 19 laps. It was also his first win, in either a sprint or a grand prix, since his victory in Spain in June. 

The Red Bull driver finished almost four seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Norris third after a late lock-up on the final lap cost him the runner-up spot.

Verstappen has stretched his championship lead over Norris by two points to 54, with 172 available.

The result will be of concern to McLaren as, for several races of late, it has had the edge on its rival. It is clear, though, that the RB20, in the hands of Verstappen at least, has made a striking recovery from a position where the car had major issues with its balance.

In the constructors' championship, with Sergio Perez ninth and Oscar Piastri 10th, with both out of the points, Verstappen's win has resulted in Red Bull closing the gap on McLaren to 39 points.

Norris made gains into Turn 1

On the formation lap, a concerned Hamilton said over the radio that "something is clicking front brake, right-front wheel". He was told, however, there was nothing concerning in the data.

Once the five red lights disappeared, it was a clean getaway from Verstappen, rising the 40 metres up the hill into the sharp Turn 1 left-hander where Norris made his move.

The Briton superbly dived up the inside on the approach, accounting initially for Leclerc in his Ferrari before then having the run on Mercedes' George Russell down the hill to nestle in behind Verstappen in second place.

As the first lap unfolded, Russell came under attack from Leclerc, who appeared at one stage as if he had managed to get a move done, only to overcook the overtake and allow the Mercedes to hold onto his third position.

Russell was then able to eke ahead of Leclerc, and instead the Monégasque came under pressure from team-mate Sainz.

Over the following laps, the Scuderia duo squabbled over fourth place before Sainz held sway on lap five, allowing him to attack Russell and Norris ahead after the latter had fallen out of the DRS range of Verstappen.

Russell almost made a move stick on lap seven, only for Norris to defend superbly, which proved defining as he eventually managed to haul himself out of the DRS and open up a comfortable cushion.

That resulted in Russell falling into the clutches of a charging Sainz, who eased into fourth on lap nine. A lap later, a fading Russell, complaining of his front-left tyre being "toast", was passed by Leclerc.

On the penultimate lap, Sainz managed to pull within DRS range of Norris and into Turn 1 on the final lap, he suffered a lock-up that allowed the Spanish driver to sweep by into second.

Another lock-up later in the race from Norris allowed Leclerc an opportunity, and but for superb instinct and driving skills, he almost ran into the back of his F1 rival.

Fortunately for Norris, he managed to hold onto third to only drop two points to Verstappen when it was almost so much worse, with Leclerc fourth.

Despite fading tyres, Russell held onto fifth ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with Haas duo Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg seventh and eighth. That result is crucial as it has hauled the team level on points with RB for sixth in the constructors'