F1 LIVE | Verstappen a serious threat now? Sainz hit with grid penalty

Carlos Sainz has been deemed responsible for his collision with Kimi Antonelli during the United States Grand Prix, with the stewards announcing a penalty for the Ferrari driver.

The incident occurred in the early stages of the race at Turn 15, where Sainz dived down the inside of the Mercedes but made contact with Antonelli’s rear-left tyre, sending the Italian into a spin and ending both drivers’ chances of scoring points.

As a result, Sainz will face a five-place grid drop for next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix and receive two penalty points on his Super Licence.

Heading into Austin, McLaren looked set to dominate. The flowing nature of the Circuit of the Americas seemed tailor-made for the MCL39, yet the team fell short of expectations. Lando Norris salvaged a solid second place, but Oscar Piastri couldn’t match his teammate’s pace, ending a subdued weekend down in fifth.

That opened the door for Verstappen to capitalise. The Red Bull driver delivered a flawless race to take victory and close the gap in the standings, trimming his deficit to Piastri from 63 to just 40 points.

When asked if Verstappen’s resurgence changes the picture in the title fight, team principal Andrea Stella made his stance perfectly clear, although he conceded that McLaren won’t be shifting focus or mindset just yet.