The US GP turned into a controversial showdown between fierce rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. The two engaged in an intense battle for third place, pushing each other to the limits. Both drivers went off-track during the fight, but stewards ultimately penalized Norris with a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track.

While Verstappen secured the position ahead of Norris, the race showed he still lacked pace compared to the Briton. Lando Norris faces immense pressure as he needs to make up more than 55 points to keep his championship hopes alive. With two sprints and five races remaining, there are still plenty of opportunities for this to happen before the season ends.

However, Max Verstappen made it clear that he won’t make it easy for the 24-year-old. The Dutchman will defend fiercely to ensure that the McLaren driver will struggle to close the gap in the standings. I’m obviously not going to make it easy for him towards the end of the season.

The only problem for me was that I had no front end. We managed to hold him up for a very long time and then he passed, but off the track. That gave him those five seconds, which obviously worked out well.

Max Verstappen told GPblog. comMcLaren was unhappy with the penalty decision, as stewards only penalized Norris. Refusing to give the position back, he crossed the line in third but then dropped to fourth due to a five-second penalty.

RELATEDLando Norris stands firm on being right over not giving back position to Max Verstappen at US GPMax Verstappen struggles to identify the source of lost speed at US GPIn Texas, Max Verstappen performed well in the sprint events. He secured pole on Friday and converted it into a sprint victory, showing a return to form after recent struggles. However, he faced challenges during the main race on Sunday.

Max Verstappen (via Formularapida. net)Despite starting second, he finished third due to a lack of pace and battles with Lando Norris. The Dutchman acknowledged that he couldn’t identify the exact issue yet but emphasized that the team needed to understand what went wrong.

Yes, we have to see where that went wrong today compared to the past two days. I can’t put my finger on that right now. Max Verstappen saidRELATEDMcLaren blames stewards for ‘interfering’ in beautiful racing between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at US GPFor now, Verstappen sits 55 points above Norris and has five more races, including two sprints, to defend that lead.

F1 now heads into the second race of the triple-header in the USA, with Mexico all set for another weekend of scintillating action.