Verstappen: We need a bit of luck for another Title

To stay in the Championship hunt for a record-equalling fifth consecutive Drivers' crown, the Dutchman was keen to finish ahead of Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Starting alongside his Title rival on the grid, the four-time Champion got off the line well, pressuring the McLaren driver into the first corner. Norris subsequently went wide into Turn 1, ceding the lead of the race to Verstappen.

From this point onwards, the Red Bull driver never looked back, staying at the head of the field even after pitting for fresh hard tyres. He ultimately saw the chequered flag first to win the 50-lap event, over 20 seconds ahead of anyone else.

Unfortunately for the defending Champion, Norris crossed the line in P2, meaning the gap between the pair in the Standings is still a hefty 42 points. With only 58 points on offer in the remaining two Grands Prix, Verstappen will need some luck on his side to win the Drivers' Title once again.

The other McLaren of Oscar Piastri stands between him and Norris in the Drivers' Championship, who is a further 12 points ahead of the Dutch driver.

Or so we all thought. Both McLaren cars were subsequently disqualified for excessive plank wear on their MCL39s. While this didn't affect Verstappen's finishing position, the points gap to Norris in the lead of the Championship was reduced to just 24 points, a more manageable gap. He is now level on points with Piastri on 366.

Speaking after the race in Las Vegas, Verstappen was keen to point out that he would need some good fortune to overturn his large points deficit to Norris with only a couple of rounds to go in the 2025 season.

He said: "It depends a lot on how our car will perform in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

"It depends a lot on how our car will perform in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

"It’s a very, very big gap. It’s also not something that will be easily overturned. We need a bit of luck for that, but we can still win races and we’ll try.

While Verstappen's Red Bull RB21 has been performing well in recent weeks, the Dutchman instead credited his team for getting the most out of the weekend with regards to strategy.

He continued: "I think this weekend we have done very well. Because even on Friday we weren't entirely happy.

"It's all about the execution as a team together to get the most out of it, and that has been very strong today," concluded the 28-year-old.

The Qatar Grand Prix commences Sunday 30 November at 16:00 GMT (19:00 local time).