Red Bull's Max Verstappen remains firmly in the hunt for a fifth World Drivers' Championship after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen lined up P2 after a chaotic qualifying session, but was able to pass McLaren's Lando Norris after the British driver's attempt at an aggressive defence into turn one resulted in a lock-up that sent him wide - opening the door for Verstappen to take the lead.
The four-time World Champion finished the race over five seconds ahead of the McLaren driver, cutting the championship lead to 42 points with two feature races and one sprint race remaining on the calendar.
However, the shocking news that both McLaren drivers, including Oscar Piastri, were disqualified from the race has vaulted Verstappen even closer to the championship lead.
The McLarens were disqualified due to excessive skid wear, in a similar situation to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in the Chinese Grand Prix, meaning that Verstappen now sits just 24 points behind Norris and level on points (366) with Piastri.
This gives him a significantly better chance of pushing for a fifth world title, with two full races and a sprint race remaining over the next two weekends.
Victories for Verstappen in those races, combined with any amount of misfortune for McLaren, be it finishing out of the podium places or otherwise, could see the Dutchman come within reach of another championship - something that seemed impossible at the halfway stage of the year.
Verstappen sat 97 points back of then-leader Piastri halfway through the season, and many believed he was already out of the championship hunt, but improvements to the RB21 in the second half of the year have seen him pick up multiple victories and podiums and will put him within touching distance of stealing a shocking win by the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
