The 2025 Formula 1 season has been a slow-burn thriller, a season that has often felt “boring” by its own high standards, yet has been simmering with potential. As the paddock arrived in Austin for the US Grand Prix, that potential felt ready to boil over. The narrative was set: McLaren, with its rapid MCL39, was no longer just a challenger to Red Bull; it was a legitimate threat. The final stretch of the season was upon us, and the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) was the perfect arena for a dramatic showdown.

What unfolded, however, was a complicated and chaotic weekend that perfectly encapsulated the state of the sport. It was a story of serene dominance for one, and unmitigated disaster for his closest rivals. While Max Verstappen cemented his authority, the weekend was defined by high-stakes drama, from first-lap collisions and intense strategic battles to the off-track controversies casting a shadow over the sport’s governance. This is the story of the 2025 United States Grand Prix, told through its biggest winners and losers.

Before the engines even roared to life, the weekend was buzzing. Teams arrived with a splash, with nearly every car on the grid sporting a special livery for the American race. McLaren’s papaya, accented with tribute colors, was a standout, a visual metaphor for their flashy on-track performance. But beneath the paint, political maneuvering was at play. News broke that the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was set to be re-elected unopposed after all opposition mysteriously dropped out, citing “obscure rules.” It was a development that sent a ripple of concern through the paddock, raising serious questions about the transparency and future governance of the sport.

As if that weren’t enough, F1 announced a massive new streaming deal with Apple, leaving legions of fans who subscribe to F1 TV Pro in a state of anxious uncertainty. Amidst the chaos, Mercedes provided a note of stability, finally confirming that both George Russell and rookie sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be driving for the Silver Arrows next year.

The weekend’s sprint format promised immediate action, and it delivered—perhaps too much. After a calm practice session, Max Verstappen predictably put his Red Bull on pole for the sprint. But all eyes were on the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, lurking just behind.

The lights went out for the sprint, and in an instant, McLaren’s weekend imploded.

It was a chain reaction of devastating precision. Fernando Alonso, ever the opportunist, spotted a gap on the inside of Turn 1. His move inadvertently squeezed Nico Hulkenberg, who was then left with nowhere to go. Hulkenberg made contact with Oscar Piastri, launching the papaya McLaren into his unsuspecting teammate, Lando Norris. Both cars were out. In less than twenty seconds, the team poised to challenge Verstappen was eliminated by its own hand. As the safety car emerged, Verstappen cruised to an easy sprint victory, the disaster in his mirrors a gift-wrapped advantage.

Sunday’s main event thankfully avoided a repeat, but it was no less intense. Charles Leclerc, on soft tires, made a brilliant start to snatch second from Norris. What followed was the race-within-a-race: a relentless, wheel-to-wheel duel between the Ferrari and the McLaren. As Verstappen disappeared into the distance—a familiar sight this season—Leclerc and Norris fought tooth and nail.

Further back, the race claimed more victims. Carlos Sainz and rookie Antonelli collided in a clear racing incident that nonetheless ended the young Mercedes driver’s day.

The defining strategic question was the tires. Despite 80-degree heat, teams were committed to a one-stop strategy, a decision that baffled onlookers and tortured the drivers. Norris’s radio was alive with complaints about his degrading softs, but he masterfully managed the gap. In the final laps, his persistence paid off. He lunged at Leclerc, whose medium tires had given their all, and made the move stick.

When the checkered flag fell, the podium was a mirror of qualifying: Max Verstappen first, Lando Norris second, and Charles Leclerc third. But that simple result tells only a fraction of the story.

WINNER: Max Verstappen

There is simply no other place to start. Verstappen was in a class of his own this weekend. He was fantastic, “comfortably fast,” and utterly serene. While his rivals were crashing, battling, or complaining, he was simply managing. He won the sprint, took pole for the Grand Prix, and won the main race with a dominance that feels almost inevitable. Even with reports of his car “bottoming,” he remains the benchmark. With the finish line of the 2025 championship in sight, Verstappen is not just walking toward the title; he is in a full, unstoppable sprint.

LOSER: McLaren (and specifically, Oscar Piastri)

For the team with the weekend’s best-looking car, this was an ugly, self-inflicted wound. The sprint race was an unmitigated disaster, wiping out a prime opportunity to score big points. While Lando Norris salvaged the weekend with a brilliant P2 on Sunday, the spotlight now turns with harsh intensity onto his teammate.

Oscar Piastri is “crumbling under pressure.” That’s the narrative gaining traction, and weekends like this are the reason why. After a stellar rookie campaign, his sophomore season is proving to be a brutal test. The sprint crash was impulsive, a driver going for a gap that was always closing. His main race, by contrast, was anonymous. The whispers that he was “overrated” are growing louder, and Piastri, a driver of immense talent, seems to be struggling to find an answer.

WINNER: Carlos Sainz

If Piastri is crumbling, Carlos Sainz is in the midst of a stunning redemption arc. After a “borderline embarrassing” European leg of the season, the Spaniard has come alive. Since leaving the continent, he has been on fire, and COTA was no exception. He comprehensively overshadowed his teammate, Alex Albon, all weekend. He has rediscovered the form that made him one of the grid’s most sought-after drivers. He is driving with a renewed confidence and aggression that has put his teammate in the shade and re-established him as his team’s clear leader.

LOSER: Alex Albon (and Pierre Gasly)

On the other side of that coin is Alex Albon. Where Sainz was “amazing,” Albon was invisible. He is currently being “spanked” by his teammate, and his early-season form has evaporated. In the brutal world of Formula 1, you are only as good as your last race, and right now, Albon is being comprehensively outperformed.

He’s joined on the loser’s list by Pierre Gasly, who suffered a similar fate. While his teammate Nico Hulkenberg was the hero of the Haas team, Gasly was “gooning his 16th” all weekend. Both Albon and Gasly are drivers of proven talent, but they were left with no answers as their teammates soaked up all the glory.

WINNER: Nico Hulkenberg

The “Hulk” was stellar. In a Haas car that is, by all accounts, a disappointment, the German veteran was a giant. Qualifying a stunning fourth in the sprint, he proved he “still has it.” He has been on the receiving end of some bad luck this season, but this weekend, he put the team on his back and delivered a performance that reminded everyone of his raw speed. In a sport obsessed with youth, Hulkenberg proved that experience, skill, and grit are a powerful combination.

LOSER: Haas F1 Team

While Hulkenberg was a bright spot, the team itself was a deep disappointment. At their second home race of the year, the American team was nowhere. Their strategies were questionable, and their pace was non-existent. It’s becoming “painfully obvious” that the team has simply stopped caring about 2025 in favor of next year. For the passionate home fans who showed up to support them, it was a sad and frustrating showing.

WINNER: Fernando Alonso

Finally, a winner born not from a trophy, but from sheer, unadulterated grit. Fernando Alonso remains a force of nature. In an Aston Martin that is struggling, he fought with the heart of a lion for a single point, finishing P10. It’s a “winner out of pity,” perhaps, but more accurately, it’s a win born of respect. His determination and fighting spirit remain undimmed, a tear-to-the-eye reminder of what a true champion looks like, even when the car isn’t.

The 2025 US Grand Prix was a microcosm of the season: Max Verstappen’s relentless perfection, McLaren’s brilliant but brittle challenge, and a midfield so brutal it can make heroes of veterans and test the mettle of future champions. As the F1 circus packs up and heads to Mexico, the question is no longer if Max will win the title, but when—and whether anyone else can land a clean punch before he does.