Verstappen's title fight resurgence, Lap 1 chaos and more: What to expect in the United States Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has been in dominant form in Austin, with sprint pole, sprint victory and now pole for the main event too. With Lando Norris joining him on the front row and championship leader Oscar Piastri further behind in sixth, here’s everything to look out for in a race that’s set to be title-defining. 

Turn 1 offers various racing lines, inviting chaos at the race start as seen during the sprint | Credit: Formula One

Max Verstappen’s chances of stealing the Drivers’ Championship from McLaren seem more and more likely with each passing session, and with pole secured on just his first Q3 run, Verstappen is poised to once again slice through his deficit to the championship leaders.

Norris and Piastri both looked on edge throughout qualifying, after the pair were taken out on Lap 1 during the sprint race earlier that day. 

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc managed to stick it in third after a sluggish weekend for the Scuderia thus far, and the 2024 winner of this Grand Prix remains another contender for victory in Austin should luck favour him.

Here are five things to watch out for ahead of the 2025 United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s title charge going full steam ahead

Ever since the summer break, Verstappen has been giving the erstwhile dominant papaya pair a run for their money – outscoring McLaren in three out of the past four races with two victories and a sprint win on Saturday to boot.

If the defending champion can keep up this form today, the 2025 title is closer than it seems for Verstappen’s camp, no doubt giving McLaren a reason to sweat, with Norris starting second and Piastri down in sixth.

Momentum is on the Red Bull driver’s side, as is increasing tensions within McLaren as they seem to falter under the pressure of managing two title contenders, giving Verstappen the opportunity to pick up the pieces.

If the top three in the championship finish as they start, Verstappen’s deficit to Piastri would be merely 38 points with five rounds to go.

For McLaren, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

More Lap 1 carnage?

The sprint gave us a teaser of what might transpire during the race, as a number of cars were collected in the Lap 1-Turn 1 drama, with both McLarens and Fernando Alonso crashing out while Nico Hülkenberg incurred heavy damage.

COTA’s wide Turn 1 entry invites drivers to take their chances with various racing lines, setting us up for plenty of excitement at the race start as Norris might fancy sweeping past Verstappen, and Leclerc will be eager to capitalise on the top two battle in an attempt to deliver Ferrari’s elusive 2025 victory.

Piastri’s redemption drive from sixth

Qualifying outside the top five for just the second time this season, twice in the last three rounds, the championship leader has his work cut out for him in Austin.

After crashing out during the sprint, Piastri was unable to bounce back in qualifying, and “didn’t really feel terribly comfortable” throughout the session.

Only managing sixth place with his key title rivals locking out the front-row, the Australian driver will be eager to claw his way up the field.

With the last time he qualified lower than fifth this year leading to a bruising opening lap crash in Baku, Piastri will be hoping his fortunes are vastly different in Austin if he is to keep his championship bid alive.

Oscar Piastri will hope his Sunday goes better than a disappointing Saturday with the sprint crash and P6 in qualifying | Credit: Formula One

Can Ferrari convert flashes of performance into higher results?

The Italian outfit has been struggling with a slew of issues over the past few rounds, including qualifying blunders, mechanical issues, and being forced to Lift and Coast last time out in Singapore.

While Austin set off to a slow start for Ferrari, the sprint and qualifying looked promising for both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc qualified just 0.006 seconds off Norris for the main event, while earlier, Hamilton looked race-ready during the sprint where he secured fourth.

Carrying this upturn in competitiveness from Friday, if there’s drama out front, both Ferraris will no doubt be eager to pounce on the opportunity as they continue to chase a win this season – the only team of the top four in the standings without a Grand Prix victory in 2025.

Personal agendas amidst midfield melee 

As the number of rounds left dwindle, the midfield becomes feistier than ever, each driver scrapping for any chance to gain valuable points in both standings.

Four points separate Racing Bulls and Aston Martin, and with Alonso starting 10th, Aston Martin have a good opportunity to make inroads against Liam Lawson starting 12th and Isack Hadjar at the back of the field after the Frenchman crashed out in Q1.

Meanwhile, Lawson lines up just ahead of former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, both drivers engaged in an internal battle of their own to secure their future within the Red Bull family next year.

Tsunoda and Lawson locked horns on Saturday, the Japanese driver accusing Lawson of “always doing something on purpose” as he felt he was blocked during qualifying. 

While all eyes will inevitably be on the front-runners, it’s worth watching out for this battle too which could easily escalate given the stakes for Tsunoda and Lawson.

Catch the race start at 20:00 BST for a 56-lap event under the Texan heat that is shaping up to become incredibly consequential in the title fight.