Verstappen dominates COTA sprint with Russell second as McLaren title pair miss points

The result

Max Verstappen converted sprint pole into a wire-to-wire victory at Circuit of the Americas, completing 19 laps in 37:58.229 to claim the maximum eight sprint points. George Russell crossed the line just 0.395 seconds behind in second, having started fifth, while Carlos Sainz completed the podium for Williams 0.791s off the pace from a P7 grid slot.

Lewis Hamilton took fourth for Ferrari — gaining four places from eighth on the grid — with Charles Leclerc fifth after starting tenth. Alexander Albon ran sixth for Williams, gaining three spots from P9, and Yuki Tsunoda was the race's most dramatic mover, climbing 11 positions from 18th to seventh. Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the final championship point in eighth for Mercedes, having started 11th. Liam Lawson (P15→P9) and Pierre Gasly (P13→P10) finished just outside the scoring positions in ninth and tenth respectively.

Neither Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris appears in the top eight, meaning McLaren left Austin without a single sprint point.

How the race unfolded

Verstappen took victory from pole, setting the quickest lap of the entire field on lap 7 — a 1:36.527 — and finishing 0.395s clear of Russell at the flag.

The more compelling story played out behind him. Russell, starting fifth, carried exceptional early pace — his fastest lap of 1:36.876 came on lap 6, the second-quickest of the race — and worked his way through to second, three places clear of where he began.

Sainz rose from seventh on the grid to third at the chequered flag. Williams demonstrated genuine sprint-format pace at COTA, with Sainz's lap 6 time of 1:37.510 ranking fifth across the field. Albon's sixth place meant Williams scored nine sprint points as a constructor — the same haul as Ferrari, who collected five from Hamilton and four from Leclerc.

Ferrari also had a strong afternoon. Hamilton's fastest lap of 1:37.096 on lap 10 was third quickest overall, and Leclerc — beginning from tenth — moved forward five places. Together they brought Ferrari nine combined sprint points.

Tsunode's charge was the headline individual performance further down the field. Starting from the very back of the second group at P18, the Japanese driver scythed through to seventh, picking up two points for Red Bull in the process. His fastest lap came as late as lap 15, the eighth-quickest time recorded across the field.

Antonelli, beginning eleventh, claimed the final championship point in eighth, adding a solitary point to Mercedes' haul alongside Russell's seven.

Championship implications

The sprint result tightens nothing at the top of the standings — but it does represent a quiet missed opportunity for McLaren. With championship leader Oscar Piastri and second-placed Lando Norris both failing to score, Verstappen's eight points moved him to 273 in the drivers' standings, though he remains 63 points behind Piastri (336) and 41 behind Norris (314).

Russell's seven points consolidate his fourth place in the championship at 237. Sainz's six points lift him to 32 in the standings, deepening a tight midfield battle around the lower reaches of the top 12 where fractions of a point separate multiple drivers.

For Ferrari, nine combined sprint points from Hamilton and Leclerc represent a solid morning's work at COTA, with Leclerc sitting fifth in the drivers' championship on 173 points and Hamilton sixth on 125.

Sprint result

Pos	Driver	Team	Time/Status	Pts
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	37:58.229	8
2	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.395	7
3	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+0.791	6
4	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+1.224	5
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.825	4
6	Alexander Albon	Williams	+2.576	3
7	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	+2.976	2
8	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+4.147	1
9	Liam Lawson	RB F1 Team	+4.804	0
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine F1 Team	+5.126	0