Verstappen reacts to tough fight with Norris: 'I tried everything'

Max Verstappen pushed himself to a handsome third place in Austin. The Dutchman had a particularly tough battle with title rival Lando Norris but emerged victorious due to a penalty for the Briton.

''For me, it was a difficult race. I never really had the pace to attack so it was different from yesterday (Saturday). I just understeered a lot, struggling under braking, so that made defending quite difficult. Every time someone went for a move, I couldn't brake that late. It was a tough battle. I tried everything I could to keep him behind. In the end, to be on the podium is a great result,'' Max said, speaking to Jenson Button after the race.

Asked about the incident with Norris, in which Verstappen himself went off track, Verstappen stated: ''I have my opinion, but I don't need to say it here, I let the stewards do their thing. For us, it was a race from which we learned a lot and we are just going to analyse that,'' the Dutchman concluded.

Verstappen's third place meant the Dutchman was again three points ahead of Lando Norris, after he also gained two points on his rival by winning the sprint race. As a result, Verstappen now has a 57-point lead in the world championship.