Formula 1: Max Verstappen gains two points on Lando Norris with USGP sprint race win

Max Verstappen inched his points lead up over Lando Norris in Saturday’s sprint race ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen led all 19 of the laps at the Circuit of the Americas to extend his points lead to 54 points. Verstappen got eight points for the win as Norris finished third with six points.

Norris started the race fourth and moved up to second behind Verstappen on the opening lap. Verstappen started on pole and defended well from George Russell. Norris then got past Russell after Turn 1 following a slow exit to the corner from the Mercedes driver.

However, he lost second place on the final lap after he locked up his tires under braking in Turn 1. That allowed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to get into second as Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth after a big save on the final lap when he tried to pass Norris.

The Mercedes cars dealt with tire wear issues midway through the race as Russell fell to fifth in front of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in sixth. The Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg got the final two points-paying positions in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Saturday’s sprint race precedes qualifying for the Grand Prix. The lineup for Sunday’s race (2 p.m. ET, ABC) will be set later in the afternoon. Verstappen is the defending winner of the race and appears to have the fastest car — or at least a car capable of holding off everyone else — through the first three sessions of the race weekend.