Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko had a laugh when McLaren told Lando Norris to attack the dominant Max Verstappen during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The four-time world champion won from second on the grid after overtaking poleman Norris at Turn 1, as the McLaren driver went wide having defended the inside too aggressively.

The McLaren drivers finished second and fourth — but in a stunning twist, both were disqualified after the postrace celebrations, with major implications for the championship.

A fifth consecutive Formula 1 championship is within Max Verstappen’s reach following the disqualifications of contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Verstappen won the event for the second time in three years to close the gap on Norris to just 42 points with two races

Throughout his time in Formula One, Max Verstappen has been known as a fiery character who is not afraid to speak his mind. Words exchanged between George Russe

Max Verstappen will reportedly lose three members of his core entourage at the end of the season as the Dutchman braces for a significant shake-up in the Red Bull garage. Of his four key engineers, only Gianpiero Lambiase will remain with the four-time world champion for the start of the new technical regulations.

Max Verstappen is a fan of Formula 1, but maybe not quite to the extent that some of his fellow drivers are. It’s no secret that Verstappen has looked outside the F1 paddock in recent years, exploring opportunities to race in different series and formats.