Out of sorts Piastri no longer title favourite: US GP winners and losers

Max Verstappen dominated the weekend in Austin to turn the screw on McLaren in the F1 championship battle.

Here are our biggest winners and losers from the 2025 United States Grand Prix…

Winner - Max Verstappen

Verstappen continued his imperious form with another masterclass weekend in Austin to increase the pressure on McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

After winning the sprint, the four-time world champion stormed to pole position and produced a commanding drive on Sunday to score his third win in four races.

Since the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen has cut what was a 104-point deficit to Piastri down to 40 points with five grands prix and two sprints remaining in 2025.

It has been an extraordinary effort from Verstappen, who is clawing back what would be an unlikely world championship.

Loser - Oscar Piastri

Piastri endured an out of sorts weekend in Austin as his worrying recent form continued.

The Australian once again struggled for pace relative to Norris in the United States as he came away from the weekend with a disappointing fifth place and just 10 points out of a possible 33.

Piastri has had no podiums in the last three grands prix and has only scored 22 points in that time. For the fourth consecutive weekend, he has seen his championship advantage - which is now just 14 points - shrink.

Winner - Charles Leclerc

An outstanding drive from Charles Leclerc, who held second for much of the race before losing out to the faster McLaren of Norris only in the closing stages of Sunday’s grand prix.

Leclerc took advantage of being the only frontrunner to start on softs by jumping ahead of Norris at Turn 1. He managed his tyres beautifully and made Norris work hard during a nail-biting, race-long battle for P2.

Despite ultimately losing out to Norris with five laps to go, Leclerc returned Ferrari to the podium for the first time in five races to cap off an encouraging end to a weekend that started dreadfully.

Loser - McLaren

The United States Grand Prix demonstrated a concerning lack of form from McLaren relative to Red Bull and other cars.

McLaren were F1’s dominant force earlier this campaign but Red Bull now looks to have the strongest overall package, at least in Verstappen’s hands.

Norris and Piastri spent their race battling Ferraris and Mercedes rather than Verstappen, who underlined Red Bull’s recent resurgence.

This served as evidence that Red Bull have pulled clear and McLaren have slipped back - at the worst possible moment for the world champions.

Winner - Yuki Tsunoda

As he did in the sprint, Yuki Tsunoda made an excellent start to make up early ground that paved the way for an impressive recovery drive in Austin.

Having been dumped out of Q2 in 13th, Tsunoda surged into the top-10 with a fantastic start to gain three places in the early stages.

Tsunoda went on to claim a solid seventh, continuing the Japanese driver’s clear improvement in recent races. It also marked his second-best result since joining Red Bull.

Loser - Williams (and Carlos Sainz)

A shocking grand prix for Williams as Carlos Sainz retired after clashing with Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, while Alex Albon could only manage 14th in an eventful race that featured a spin at the start.

Sainz’s brilliant third place in the sprint ensures Williams don’t come away from the United States empty-handed, but the Spaniard will have to serve a five-place grid drop in Mexico as a result of his overambitious lunge.

Winner - Nico Hulkenberg

For the first time since the British Grand Prix in July, Nico Hulkenberg returned to the points as he battled his way to eighth from 11th on the grid.

The German bounced back from the disappointment of blowing his stunning P4 starting slot for the sprint amid the first-corner carnage with a great drive to grab four points for Sauber in Sunday’s main race.

It is a result that sees Sauber close to within 10 points of seventh-placed Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.

Loser - Mercedes

After a triumphant victory in Singapore, Mercedes had a more anonymous weekend in Austin.

George Russell’s race was effectively ruined by a poor start, before he had a pretty lonely run to sixth, lacking the pace to catch Piastri ahead.

Antonelli looked on course for a good afternoon until he was pitched into a spin by Sainz, adding to Mercedes’ frustration as Ferrari made up ground in the battle for second place in the constructors’ championship.

Loser - Racing Bulls

A forgettable race for Racing Bulls as Liam Lawson missed out on points in 11th and Isack Hadjar recovered to 16th after his qualifying crash left him 20th and last.

In the fight for P6 in the constructors’, Racing Bulls are now just three points ahead of Aston Martin.