United States Grand Prix Tips: Norris to be in contention
After having a driver on the top step of the podium in 12 of the first 15 races of the 2025 season, McLaren head to Texas looking to end a three-race winless run in the United States Grand Prix.
The newly crowned constructors’ champions now turn their full attention to the battle for the Drivers’ Championship, with Max Verstappen’s recent resurgence casting slight doubt over the papaya duo’s chances.
Tip 1 – Lando Norris to finish in the top 2 @ 4/5
Verstappen heads into the United States Grand Prix as the favourite for the first time since the start of the season after impressing over the last few races, but Lando Norris has the pace to compete with the Dutchman in Austin.
Norris, who is desperate for points as he tries to bridge the gap between him and teammate Oscar Piastri in the individual standings, was on the gearbox of second-place Verstappen for the majority of the Singapore Grand Prix as he came home third.
Singapore is an outlier of a track when it comes to judging the performance of the cars, and the lack of overtaking opportunities around Marina Bay allowed Verstappen to hold the Briton at bay.
That may not be the case at the Circuit of the Americas and, even if Verstappen’s Red Bull has the true pace to win, Norris looks good value to finish in the top two.
He has beaten his teammate in six of the last eight Grands Prix, with one of his failures to do so coming as a result of an unfortunate mechanical failure in the Dutch GP, which he was on course to win.
Norris has finished ahead of Piastri in the last two editions of the US Grand Prix and finished second here in 2023, so he can take some points out of the Australian’s lead on Sunday.
Tip 2 – Kimi Antonelli to finish in the top 6 @ 1/1
By Kimi Antonelli’s own admission, the young Italian placed far too much pressure on himself during the European leg of the Formula One calendar, and that resulted in a major downturn in form.
He finished in the points just once in seven attempts between Emilia Romagna and Belgium, but the pressure has eased in the last few races and the teenager looks back to his best.
Driving an improving Mercedes that teammate George Russell has taken to three podiums in the last five races, Antonelli clinched a third successive points finish in Singapore and a second consecutive appearance in the top six.
His fifth-place finish in Singapore was his seventh top-six finish in his rookie F1 season, and he can make it eight in Texas.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change