US Grand Prix: Lando Norris loses third place to Max Verstappen while Charles Leclerc wins

Sainz pitted on lap 21, and by the time Verstappen stopped putting new tires on the Ferrari, the Spaniard had gained enough time for the Red Bull to come out behind him.

Verstappen couldn't do anything against Sainz and had to concentrate on Norris.

He and his teammate Oscar Piastri had a quiet first stint, sitting fourth and fifth and unable to keep up with the pace of the Ferraris and Red Bulls in front of them.

But McLaren let their drivers run long to give them a tire advantage in the second stint.

Norris stopped six laps after Verstappen and was 6.6 seconds behind when he returned to the track.

A little more than ten laps later he was on the Red Bull's heels and the two fought an exciting battle over the next ten laps.

Norris followed Verstappen closely and on several occasions the two ran side by side through some of the complex's corners after Turn 12, the tight corner at the end of the long back straight.

But Verstappen positioned his car cleverly to prevent Norris from getting out of the way at the Turn 15 hairpin.

On lap 52, Norris came closer to the back straight than ever before and went to the outside while Verstappen defended the inside line.

Both cars went off the track, Norris significantly, and the McLaren came out in front.

Verstappen immediately complained that Norris had gone off the track and overtaken and should give the place back.

But Norris decided to press on, arguing to his team that he had been ahead at the apex.

But the stewards had a different opinion and Norris received a five-second penalty shortly before the end of the race. Despite pulling away, he hadn't done enough to prevent the penalty.

After the race, Norris told BBC Sport: “That’s life. I didn’t do my job well enough.”

Asked if he should have given the spot back, he said: “Maybe that was my only chance.”

Piastri finished fifth, while George Russell saved Mercedes blushes after a difficult weekend by recovering to sixth after starting from the pitlane due to an accident in qualifying.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton crashed on the second lap. “I’ve never spun, especially in the second lap,” he said. “It’s devastating not to take part in the race because I love this race.”