Time running out for Norris to catch Verstappen in F1 title chase as series heads to Mexico City

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Time is running out on Lando Norris' Formula 1 title chase of Max Verstappen.

Norris and McLaren leave Texas for the Mexico City Grand Prix further adrift from Verstappen after a disappointing United States Grand Prix weekend. The Red Bull driver won the sprint race, then took the final podium spot in the Sunday main event when Norris was penalized for leaving the track to pass him in the final laps.

The penalty will be debated in the garages and paddock until next season. That won't help Norris in the standings now.

Verstappen is chasing a fourth consecutive season championship. Norris is trying to win his first, and Texas gave him another taste of just how hard, if not impossible, it can be to take the title from the Dutch driver.

Norris had the faster car in the late stages Sunday. He got stuck behind a stubborn Verstappen who refused to yield the place as the drivers battled over every inch of the track.

When Norris finally made his move to third with about four laps to go, race stewards determined he improperly left the track to gain the position. He was given a five-second penalty.

Norris crossed the finish line in third. Officially, he was fourth and Verstappen took the final podium spot.

The penalty and the head-to-head battle with Verstappen, left Norris clearly frustrated.

“He defends by going off-track, he overtakes by going off-track. But I’m not going to complain. Max drove well and he defended well, we had a good race together. But the rules are the rules.” Norris said.

At least he finished the race this time. When those two tangled in Austria, a late-race collision knocked Norris out of the race and dropped Verstappen from first to fifth.

That tussle proved to be a taste of things to come.

Norris has been in a months-long charge after Verstappen, who hasn't won a grand prix since June after a dominant start to the season. Norris and Verstappen finished 1-2 in Singapore, but Norris won the race by 21 seconds just before the four-week autumn break.

Red Bull and Verstappen appear to have at least closed that gap.

Verstappen won the Texas sprint race for his first victory of any kind since the sprint race in Austria. And even if Sunday's finish had been reversed, Norris would have have come out of the weekend just a single point closer in the championship.

Yet Verstappen's weekend wasn't as good as he had hoped it would be. Red Bull brought a trove of upgrades to a car that Verstappen has alternately called “undrivable” and “a monster” this season.

The car looked good in the sprint and again in qualifying when Verstappen barely missed out on pole position, which Norris won.

But the sprint race victory proved a bit of a mirage. The Red Bull had nowhere near the pace of the Ferraris over a regular race distance, and was passed by Norris at the end.

It was still good enough to squeeze the title chase just a bit tighter. And Verstappen had no sympathy for McLaren's complaints Sunday about losing the podium.

“They complain about a lot recently.” Verstappen said. “The battle with Lando at the end was cool as we were racing hard and it was actually a lot of fun. You cannot overtake outside the white line and I have lost a podium here for overtaking outside the track."

And he'll take any result that stretches his lead in the championship.

“We are going in the right direction. It is still not enough,” Verstappen said. "Ultimately the fact that we have extended the gap is the biggest thing for us.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

McLaren driver Lando Norris, left front, of Britain, and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, right front, of the Netherlands, lead drivers at the start of the U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, left, of the Netherlands, runs McLaren driver Lando Norris, right, of Britain, off the track at Turn 1 during the U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

McLaren driver Lando Norris, of Britain, leads drives into Turn 1 during the U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

McLaren driver Lando Norris, left, of Britain, and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, right, of the Netherlands, race through a turn during the U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, holds up his third place trophy after the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart joined the New York Liberty two years ago with one goal in mind: to bring the long-suffering franchise it's first championship.

WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones soon joined her and the pair helped the Liberty accomplish their mission, a year after they suffered a disappointing loss in the Finals to Las Vegas.

“The wait was so, so, so worth it,” Stewart said. “We talked about it two years ago when it was free agency, and we wanted to come together. You look back and me, JJ, (Courtney Vandersloot), we all came together to win a championship. Last year we lost in the Finals. But look at us, now we’re here.”

Now with the core group mostly intact, winning more championships might be in the future for Stewart and the Liberty after Sunday's 67-62 overtime victory against the Minnesota Lynx in the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

She had won two titles before with Seattle, but this was special for her as the only player born in the state of New York on the roster.

“This is more personal because I’m from New York. I’m from upstate,” she said. “I came here for a reason, and that’s to win a championship.”

With Stewart, Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and other key players signed for next year, there's no reason to think the Liberty couldn't repeat.

“I think it’s been fun. Hey, let’s not stop at one, though. Let’s go for two,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s hard to win because this league is so good. You need a little bit of luck on your side, but you also need talent. You also need talent, the right talent to put together.”

It won't be easy. The league will look different with the addition of Golden State as a 13th team. They'll also be squads like Minnesota, Las Vegas and others hungry to knock them off. In the past 20 years, only the Aces have repeated as champions, winning in 2022 and 2023.

This series was a fitting conclusion to a record-breaking season for the league. All five games came down to the last few possessions and have included two overtime games and a last-second shot, which have led to record ratings.

The five games produced a record attendance for a WNBA Finals. Many of those New York fans, dying for a championship in a city known for winning titles in other sports, will celebrate at a parade later this week. It most likely will be in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan — right across the bridge from Barclays Center where the Liberty play.

Then it’s on to the offseason with the first order of business for the league and players being whether either side will opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. They have until Nov. 1 to do it.

For now the Liberty can enjoy their first-ever title. They had been this far five times before, losing each time, including last season's defeat. Some of the great Liberty players of the past like Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks, who came up short in their time of winning a championship, were in the sellout crowd Sunday to see the team win.

“I told her I hope you enjoy this because this is for you,” Vandersloot said she told Weatherspoon. “You laid the foundation and, you know, sometimes it doesn’t show right away. ... I hope she feels appreciated because, you know, she kind of started this and now the city has won and that can never be taken away.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The New York Liberty hold up the championship trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart reacts with her daughter, Ruby, while holding the championship trophy after the Liberty won Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones reacts after being given the MVP Award after winning the championship against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

The New York Liberty celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series to win the WNBA championship, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Lynx during the third quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu holds up the championship trophy after the Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)