AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday, earning his first victory ever in nearly five months and preventing McLaren’s Lando Norris from blowing his lead in the sprint race formula 1 Season championship.

Norris kept Verstappen in sight for 18 of 19 laps at the Circuit of the Americas after starting from fourth to second on the grid. But Norris made a costly mistake in the first corner of the final lap, allowing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to slip into second place.

Third place instead of second cost Norris a crucial point in the title fight. He is now 54 points behind Verstappen with six Grand Prix races and two sprint races before the end of the season.

Verstappen is chasing his fourth title in a row. He started from pole position on Saturday and was never in danger of taking the lead. He won by almost four seconds.

“Feels a bit like old times,” said Verstappen.

Qualifying for Sunday’s main event took place later on Saturday. Verstappen has won the US Grand Prix for the last three years, but has not started the race from pole position since 2021.

The sprint victory should renew Red Bull’s confidence that it has improved a car that Verstappen has alternately described as “undriveable” and “a monster” at times this season.

Formula 1 returned from a four-week autumn break this week, with Norris steadily chasing Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.

The once-dominant Verstappen had not won since the Austrian Grand Prix sprint race in June, and his last Grand Prix victory came a week earlier in Spain.

Norris has taken two wins and three more podiums in that period, closing the gap to Verstappen, and McLaren has overtaken Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Norris hinted that it will be difficult for him to compete with Verstappen and Ferraris on Sunday.

“I did my best,” said Norris after the sprint race. “I didn’t think we had the pace compared to Max and the Ferraris.”

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