HEAT HAZARD DECLARED AT THE 2025 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

 

U.S. GP: WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR LANDO NORRIS AND MAX VERSTAPPEN?

With six rounds of the Formula 1 season remaining, a genuine title fight is brewing between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Long-time followers of the sport will know how rare it is for a championship battle to be decided at the final round of the year -- with just 30 examples in the sport's 74-year history and only three in the last 10 years -- but based on the two drivers' trajectory over the last five races, the 2024 season is trending towards a showdown at the final round in Abu Dhabi.

The current gap between Verstappen and Norris stands at 52 points (Verstappen on 331 points, Norris on 279) with a total of 180 still up for grabs for any single driver if they win every race, every sprint race and score all bonus points for fastest laps (as unlikely as that is).

If the two drivers are tied on points at the final round, the one with the most victories would be crowned champion (Verstappen currently has seven to Norris' three) and if that number is tied it would go to countback on second places, then third places and so on.

How many points are on offer at each race?

The F1 points system offers up the following per position at the end of each grand prix.

1st - 25 points

2nd - 18 points

3rd - 15 points

4th - 12 points

5th - 10 points

6th - 8 points

7th - 6 points

8th - 4 points

9th - 2 points

10th - 1 point

Fastest lap: 1 bonus point providing the driver finishes in the top 10

There are three sprint races remaining this year, which offer up an opportunity to score extra points on the Saturday of the race weekend in a shortened standalone race. The points are distributed as follows.

1st - 8 points

2nd - 7 points

3rd - 6 points

4th - 5 points

5th - 4 points

6th - 3 points

7th - 2 points

8th - 1 point

Three of the remaining six rounds have sprint races as part of the schedule, starting this weekend in Austin.

Remaining races:

October 20: US Grand Prix (Sprint weekend)

October 27: Mexican Grand Prix

November 3: Brazilian Grand Prix (Sprint weekend)

November 24: Las Vegas Grand Prix

December 1: Qatar Grand Prix (Sprint weekend)

December 8: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

What does Norris need to do to win?

Lando Norris with Max Verstappen in Singapore. Clive Rose - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Even if Norris takes the maximum 180 points still on offer, Verstappen would be able to hold on to his lead by a single point by finishing second at every race and sprint. However, given the way the season has gone up to now, that hypothetical scenario seems incredibly unlikely as Ferrari, Mercedes and Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri have all been in regular contention for wins and podiums.

A better way of looking at the task facing Norris is that he needs to take an average of 8.83 points out of Verstappen at each of the six remaining rounds. That might mean outscoring Verstappen by 10 points one weekend (the difference between a win and third place) and seven (the difference between a win and second place at another) at another, but ultimately he needs to consistently beat Verstappen to stand a chance.

To ensure the title race goes down to the final round, Norris needs to outscore Verstappen by 5.4 points on average at the next five rounds. However, that would leave the gap at 25 points ahead of Abu Dhabi, meaning Norris would go into the final race needing a victory and fastest lap while hoping Verstappen fails to score.

Is Norris trending towards a title based on recent results?

At the last five rounds, during which McLaren has been the most consistent team and Red Bull has struggled, Norris has closed the gap to Verstappen at an average of 6.4 points per round.

A continuation of that kind of form would leave a 13 or 14 point deficit at the final round and Verstappen needing to finish fifth or higher in Abu Dhabi to secure the title. It would provide an element of excitement and jeopardy to the final few races, but ultimately Verstappen remains the favourite given the size of his lead and the amount of races left.

Lando Norris has won three races this year, to Max Verstappen's seven. Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Norris supporters will take some hope from McLaren emerging as the fastest car at most circuits in the second half of the season and Verstappen's struggles during that same period. Since the British Grand Prix in July, Norris has cut Verstappen's advantage from its season high point of 84 points to the current 52, while Verstappen hasn't won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Red Bull has struggled to consistently add performance to its car in the same way McLaren has this year, but upgrades for all the top teams at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix could alter the competitive picture again. The upgrades in Austin are likely to be the last major changes to the cars this year, so the relative performances of McLaren and Red Bull at the Circuit of the Americas could be a key indicator as to whether Norris will have the car he needs to seriously mount a challenge.

A retirement for either driver at the remaining races would provide a significant blow to their hopes. For example, if Verstappen fails to finish a grand prix while Norris wins and secures fastest lap, it would result in half of Verstappen's current 52-point advantage being eroded on one fell swoop. But if Norris fails to score at any single race, it would likely spell the end of his title hopes unless the same thing happened to Verstappen at a later round.

Are any other drivers in the mix?

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is a further 34 points adrift of Norris, meaning his gap to Verstappen is 86 points. Even if he was regularly fighting for victories that would seem like a huge points gap, but it appears insurmountable given Ferrari's fluctuations in form from race to race.

However, Leclerc -- along with his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and the Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell -- could still play a major role in the title fight by taking points off the two title contenders at the final six races and occasionally fighting for wins.

Charles Leclerc (R) is third in the drivers' championship, 86 points behind Max Verstappen. Clive Rose/Getty Images

The other significant factor in the Verstappen/Norris title battle will be the performances of their teammates. McLaren's Piastri has won two races this season and has the potential to secure further victories at the remaining rounds. McLaren has said it will give preference to Norris in 50/50 situations between its two drivers, but how far team orders might extend to ensure Piastri helps Norris is not entirely clear.

Likewise, Red Bull's Sergio Perez will be called on to help Verstappen, but only if he is competitive enough to become a factor in races. Perez has struggled for form since his last podium at the Chinese Grand Prix in April and his lack of results has seen Red Bull drop behind McLaren in the constructors' championship.

If he can run closer to the front in the final six races, as he did for the vast majority of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two races ago, Red Bull has made clear that he will be asked to play a supporting role for Verstappen.

- Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor

U.S. GP: MAX VERSTAPPEN TO CONTINUE FIA PRESSER PROTEST

Max Verstappen said he has not heard from the FIA in three weeks, since the Singapore Grand Prix. Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

AUSTIN -- Max Verstappen hinted his protest over FIA news conferences will continue at the U.S. Grand Prix after not hearing from the governing body in the three weeks since the last race.

Verstappen, F1's reigning champion, was given the FIA's version of community service after he said the word "f---ed" at a news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

After qualifying at the same event, Verstappen refused to answer questions in the official FIA media conference which followed, instead holding an impromptu media session with journalists in the paddock immediately afterwards.

Verstappen was not scheduled in the FIA news conference on Thursday in Austin, meaning he was talking in a session hosted by Red Bull outside the team's hospitality unit.

"I haven't heard anything," Verstappen said when asked if he would continue the protest. "So... yeah. For me, it doesn't really change anything."

Referring to the setting he was talking in, he added: "I will speak ... This table works well."

The only remaining FIA driver news conferences remaining this week are for the top three after qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday.

Verstappen, who labelled the original decision "ridiculous" in Singapore, said it was wrong for the governing body to have suggested him swearing in a news conference would influence young kids to the same.

"I think already the world we live in, right? A lot of stuff is like that. I think this particular scenario, yes, I think is very unnecessary. Of course I know that you can't generally swear in context, but I think that's more related to when you insult someone and then you hear comments, but you don't want kids seeing that.

"Well, when I was five years old, I never watched a press conference in my life anyway, and I think at school you've said way worse things than that, because you grow up with kids. You're a bit of a rebel. You always say bad stuff. That's just how life is. You want to set an example, yeah, sure. But I don't think that they should make such a big deal out of it."

He added: "I'm not aggressive or whatever. Like I said, I'm just living my life, and when I don't agree with something, I'll say it."

There was a break of three full weeks without a race between Singapore and the U.S. race, but there was no contact in that time.

Asked if FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had reached out to him since then, Verstappen said: "No.

"I'm always open for a chat. But from my side at the moment, it's not that I am the one who has to reach out with this stuff. I just live my life and continue. Nothing changes."

He reiterated later: "I've not talked to the FIA about it."

The FIA has not yet clarified when or what Verstappen's community service will be.

George Russell, head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, has confirmed the drivers will write a letter to the FIA over the issue.

- Nate Saunders, General Editor, F1

U.S. GRAND PRIX MEME | F1 MEME

HOW RED BULL AVOIDED USGP ERROR THAT GOT HAMILTON AND LECLERC EXCLUDED

USA TODAY Sports 

Mercedes accepted their punishment after Formula One stewards disqualified Lewis Hamilton from second place in Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix along with sixth-placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The governing FIA had reported both drivers to stewards after their cars failed post-race checks on the under-floor wooden planks at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Stewards imposed the standard penalty after both teams acknowledged the measurements carried out by the FIA were correct.

Mercedes had stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably due to the bumpy track and the race being run to a sprint format for the first time.

That meant a 100km race on Saturday and only one practice session instead of the usual three.

LECLERC ON POLE IN AUSTIN AS VERSTAPPEN HAS LAP DELETED

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Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on pole position for Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix after Red Bull's triple Formula One world champion Max Verstappen had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits and dropped to sixth on the grid.

McLaren's Lando Norris will join Leclerc on the front row, with Lewis Hamilton lining up third for Mercedes and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz fourth in a battle to beat dominant Red Bull for only the second time this year.

The pole was Leclerc's third of the season, and 21st of his career, but he was helped by Verstappen going fully over the white line through turn 19 on his way to lapping 0.005 faster on his final effort.

The Monegasque had been on provisional pole with a time of one minute 34.829 and improved that to 1:34.723 before Verstappen crossed the line in a swiftly deleted 1:34.718.