Verstappen wins Austin sprint to stretch lead over Norris

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the US Grand Prix sprint from pole position on Saturday to end an eight-race losing streak and extend his Formula One championship lead over McLaren's Lando Norris to 54 points.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished second, 3.882 seconds behind Verstappen, after passing Norris on the 19th and last lap at Austin's Circuit of the Americas when the Briton went too deep into turn one.

The victory was Verstappen's first of any sort since a sprint in Austria in June and meant the triple champion has now won all four 100km sprints so far this season with two more still to come.

Norris made a great start from fourth on the grid, seizing second place on the inside after passing Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into the first corner and holding on until the 19th lap.

He almost lost third place too as he went wide at turn 12 with Leclerc right behind and they almost tangled at turn 15.

Stewards noted potential erratic driving by the McLaren contender but decided to take no further action after reviewing data and in-car video evidence.

Leclerc was fourth, after an entertaining early scrap with Sainz, and Russell and seven-times world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth despite a major car upgrade.

Russell complained already just after half-distance that his front left tyre was "toast".

The Haas pair of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg took the final points in seventh and eighth, a big boost for the US-owned team in their home race.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez was ninth and McLaren's Oscar Piastri 10th after a five second penalty for forcing Alpine's Pierre Gasly off the track.

Their failure to score meant champions Red Bull trimmed McLaren's lead in the constructors' standings to 39 points.