An emotional Max Verstappen secured his fourth world title under the lights in Las Vegas as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton claimed a brilliant one-two for Mercedes.
Verstappen knew he just needed to beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to be sure of winning a fourth consecutive drivers’ crown. And the Dutch driver did what was required, finishing fifth to Norris’ sixth, which was exactly where they started.
Verstappen, 27, appeared to be crying on his warm-down lap as he told his team: “Oh my God, what a season. Four times. A little bit more difficult than last year. Thank you guys.”
Russell, who started on pole, took the third win of his career with a faultless display, while team mate Hamilton produced a sensational drive from 10th on the grid to finish just 7 seconds behind his team mate.
More to follow…
08:29 AM GMT
Your two winners today
George Russell, race winner.
Max Verstappen, championship winner.
08:23 AM GMT
Updated constructor standings
A bit of movement in the fight for sixth. Four points today for Haas puts them back into sixth, a point ahead of Alpine. RB close up to seventh with Tsunoda’s top 10. Alpine, despite Gasly starting third, ended the day pointless.
08:16 AM GMT
Here is what Norris told F1TV
“Max deserved to win it, he drove a better season than I did, he deserved it more than anyone else, Max just doesn’t have a weakness. When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always.”
08:15 AM GMT
Norris congratulates Verstappen on the 2024 title
08:14 AM GMT
Most world drivers’ titles
Verstappen moves up the list.
Seven
Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton
Five
Juan Manuel Fangio
Four
Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen
Three
Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna
08:11 AM GMT
Verstappen’s race engineer ‘GP’
Gianpiero Lambiase (below right) is the man we (and Verstappen) hear on the radio quite often. It’s a close relationship and he offers his thoughts to Sky Sports F1 on another championship.
“This year has shared many similarities to 2021 actually. It was getting pretty intense at times, he’s taken another step which I think for you guys is pretty hard to believe. The effort he’s putting in in the office with us as a crew. We’ve seen a few flashes ot it but he doesn’t have to be there winning everything every weekend. As much as he’s got this bravado he will absorb every piece of information that goes between his ears.”
08:09 AM GMT
More from Horner on four-time world champions at Red Bull
“When we did it for the first time in Seb [Vettel] I thought we’d never repeat that… to be standing here with Max having won four in a row and having joined a very elite group of champions, it puts him among the all-time greats. He has an insane amount of natural talent and ability. He has more hunger than I’ve ever seen in any driver. The dedication, the application and self-belief. I think that combination has created one of the most phenomenal drivers that certainly I have ever seen.”
08:05 AM GMT
Christian Horner on Verstappen’s win and their ‘hardest’ challenge
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a year and max has been truly outstanding. We had a difficult summer but he kept nailing the results. I think this has been his best and hardest championship. He’s shown maturity and he’s delivered on the days when the car wasn’t quite there and there is no one more deserving of this championship than Max.
“This one has been hard won and all credit to all the men and women behind the scenes in milton Keynes who have put in tireless hours.The others have pushed us really hard this year and it’s been by far our hardest challenge this year.”
08:00 AM GMT
Mercedes should be happy
This is only their fifth win since the start of 2022. It is their fourth of 2022 but I don’t think we can definitely say that they know why their car is quick when it is quick. A strange season for them again.
07:57 AM GMT
Updated driver standings
Two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the first of those a sprint weekend next week, to go.
07:50 AM GMT
Verstappen on his fourth title, arguably his best yet
“It’s been a long season. We started off amazing, it was almost like crusing but then we had a tough run but as a team we kept it together. Incredibly proud of everyone what they have done for me, to stand here as a four time world champion is something that I never thought possible. Standing here feeling relieved in a way but very proud. To be standing here as a four-time world champion is incredible.
“It was a very challenging season. Also as a person at times it’s very challenging and I had to be calm. I think in a way, I preferred last season but this season taught me a lot of lessons and I’m very proud of how we handled that as a team.”
07:46 AM GMT
Carlos Sainz in a woolly hat reacts after a podium
“It was a bit of a shock, the mediums… I was expecting to be quite strong in this tyre but I think it lasted eight or nine laps. From then on it was damage limitation. I wish we would have been quicker and fighting for George for the win. We come with a P3 which was not what we expected but was the most we could hope for today.”
07:45 AM GMT
Hamilton after a fighting second
“That was great. Firstly a big congratulations to Max for winning the championship. If I’d have done my job yesterday it’d have been a breeze today. It was fun today, coming from the back. We don’t know why we were so quick today… that’s the best the car has ever felt. If the car drives like that in the next couple of races I think we’ll be in a good spot to challenge the guys out front.”
07:43 AM GMT
Russell reacts to a third career F1 win
“I was planning on flying in a couple of hours but I am definitely not getting on that flight! It’s been a dream all weekend… I’m riding that wave now. I can’t even describe this place. I was just waiting for something to happen. The two races I’ve been on pole before it’s always been chaos… I am just waiting for something to happen and it didn’t. Just so, so happy right now.”
07:41 AM GMT
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on Verstappen’s triumph
“I want to congratulate Max on an incredible season and his fourth world title. He is a true great of this sport and has so much more to look forward to in his impressive career. This season has been thrilling and 2025 looks set to be even closer. Congratulations Max and congratulations to all the team at Red Bull.”
07:41 AM GMT
Congratulations on their way to Max
07:40 AM GMT
The podium finishers and Max Verstappen all in cars
They are heading to the podium ceremony. Russell says that because of his gap he was just managing in the final stint, which is what looked to be the case. Sainz, Russell and Hamilton are squeezed into the back of one limousine whilst Verstappen and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase are in another.
07:34 AM GMT
Max Verstappen’s latest F1 title win is his most complete season yet
Is Max Verstappen the greatest F1 driver of all time? It is a question which can legitimately be asked in the wake of his fourth consecutive world title, which he delivered beneath the blinking neon lights of Sin City on Saturday night. Needing to beat McLaren’s Lando Norris by at least two points to be sure of securing the crown, Verstappen comfortably finished ahead of the Briton to seal the title. In this gamblers’ paradise, it was always foolish to bet against him.
07:30 AM GMT
Las Vegas GP – Top 10
RUS 25pts
HAM 18pts
SAI 15pts
LEC 12pts
VER 10pts
NOR 9pts
PIA 6pts
HUL 4pts
TSU 2pts
PER 1pt
07:28 AM GMT
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2024 DRIVERS’ TITLE
Verstappen’s fifth place and Norris’s sixth is enough to secure a fourth world championship for the Dutchman. It has been a struggle at points, especially after the summer break, but he deserves this title no doubt. He built a healthy lead in the first part of the season and then did his best to keep that gap as large as it needed to be. This felt like a formality this weekend but still, congratulations.
07:26 AM GMT
GEORGE RUSSELL WINS THE 2024 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX
A superb performance from the Briton, faultless and rarely in doubt. Hamilton second for a Mercedes 1-2 with Sainz leading a Ferrari 3-4…
07:25 AM GMT
FINAL LAP
Russell closing in on a third grand prix victory and Verstappen closing in on a fourth world championship.
07:23 AM GMT
Lap 49 of 50 – Top 10
RUS
HAM
SAI
LEC
VER
NOR
PIA
HUL
TSU
PER
07:23 AM GMT
Lap 48 of 50 – A faultless drive from Russell today
Hamilton has driven superbly with the car he has been given, hopefully that will cheer him up after a difficult few races. That said he probably will (and arguably should) think that he could have won this race had he not qualified so far down.
Norris pits with a big gap to Piastri behind in an attempt to get the fastest lap bonus point.
07:22 AM GMT
Lap 47 of 50 – Leclerc finally gets Verstappen for fourth
A bit of a buffer now to McLaren, third and fourth compared to sixth and seventh. That means if it finishes like this they would take 13 points out of McLaren. Verstappen down to fifth but he is ahead of Norris by 10 seconds nearly and that is enough for him to take the drivers’ title. Hamilton runs over the chicane at turn eight which cost him a few tenths.
07:20 AM GMT
Lap 46 of 50 – Russell told to keep ‘picking up the pace’
He extends his lead to 5.1sec. Mercedes cannot really do anything in the constructors’, being destined to fourth place, but a 1-2 would rightly be celebrated.
07:18 AM GMT
Lap 45 of 50 – Hamilton with five seconds now
But I think this race is done, really. Hulkenberg gets Tsunoda for eighth. Alonso in 10th. I don’t think Zhou is going to be scoring any points for Sauber here unless something strange happens.
07:16 AM GMT
Lap 44 of 50 – Sainz has not check out from Verstappen
Leclerc has still not found a way past the Red Bull driver…
07:14 AM GMT
Lap 43 of 50 – 5.3sec the gap between Hamilton and Russell
Not sure that Hamilton has enough time to close this down before the chequered flag.
07:14 AM GMT
Lap 42 of 50 – Verstappen fights Leclerc
He keeps the position, forcing Leclerc to go around the outside and eventually bailing out.
07:12 AM GMT
Lap 41 of 50 – Russell’s lead down to below six seconds
Has this race got something in it? It has for the final podium slot as Sainz gets Verstappen… Leclerc is the next man to try that on the Dutchman and he is very close at the end of the lap.
07:10 AM GMT
Lap 40 of 50 – Verstappen under pressure from the Ferraris
He asks whether he should try and keep them at bay and is told “yes”. He would win the championship if they finished like this, by the way.
Hamilton sets another fastest lap but Russell has upped his pace, though still lost four tenths. That would be fine very lap from here, though.
07:09 AM GMT
Lap 39 of 50 – Top 10
RUS
HAM +7.4
VER +13.2
SAI +14.5
LEC +15.6
NOR +28.7
PIA +41.2
TSU +49.9
HUL +50.4
ALO +52.4
07:08 AM GMT
Lap 38 of 50 – Can Hamilton win this?
Well, if he keeps up his current pace he might be able to. “Only” 0.7sec out of Russell the last time around, though.
No enormous response in lap time when it comes to Russell but he does have laps six laps fresher so Hamilton’s tyres may start to drop off in short order.
07:05 AM GMT
Lap 37 of 50 – A slightly disappointing day for Ferrari so far
They are in fourth and fifth with McLaren in sixth and seventh. That means they would only eat eight points into McLaren’s constructors’ championship lead, by my calculations. 22 points to 14 points, depending on were the fastest lap goes.
07:04 AM GMT
Lap 36 of 50 – Zhou has dropped out of the points
That comes after a pit stop which puts him down in 16th. No word on Sainz being investigated for crossing the pit-lane line earlier on… unless I missed it.
Hamilton sets another fastest lap. Russell’s lead down to 8.7sec.
07:02 AM GMT
Lap 35 of 50 – Hamilton flying
He is either taking a lot of life out of his tyres or Russell has something to be worried about. He was nearly a full second faster than the leader the last time around…
07:00 AM GMT
Lap 34 of 50 – Russell’s race to lose, really
He is 10 seconds ahead of his team-mate in second with Verstappen 2.5sec behind, Sainz 3.5sec behind him and Leclerc two seconds behind him.
06:58 AM GMT
Lap 33 of 50 – Hamilton now 11.1sec behind leader Russell
He will have a six-lap tyre advantage over his team-mate.
06:57 AM GMT
Lap 32 of 50 – Hamilton gets Verstappen, no problem
Leclerc pits from second making it a Mercedes 1-2 again, though Russell has only stopped once so far. Scrap that, he comes in now.
LAP 33/50: George comes into the pits and gets another set of Hards on.
He comes out 12s ahead of Lewis in P2
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 24, 2024
06:55 AM GMT
Lap 31 of 50 – Hamilton is flying
He is within DRS range of Verstappen after setting the fastest lap of the race.
06:54 AM GMT
Lap 30 of 50 – Russell leads Leclerc by 15.6sec
Here’s the top 10:
RUS
LEC +16.3
NOR +28.8
VER +33.5
HAM +34.2
SAI +38.4
HUL +41.6
PER +48.0
ZHO +53.7
OCO +55.7
Zhou in the points. Could Sauber score their first top 10 of the year?
06:52 AM GMT
Lap 29 of 50 – Strange one from Ferrari
For several laps Sainz was requesting to stop yet the team were not ready. I guess that explains why he came into and then left the pit lane. A bit of a mess, really.
06:51 AM GMT
Lap 28 of 50 – Russell leads Leclerc by 15.2sec
Verstappen goes straight on at the chicane at turn seven. He eventually did stop, by the way and is in fifth, 2.4sec ahead of Hamilton. Sainz did indeed cross the white pit-lane line and will surely take a penalty. He comes in at the end of this lap and barks at his team: “What happened?!”. “We were not ready,” his race engineer says. Sainz tells them to wake up.
06:50 AM GMT
Lap 27 of 50 – Verstappen was told to pit
But then he is told to stay out… and does so…
Ferrari swap positions again but with Hamilton right behind them both! Hamilton comes it and it looks like Sainz is coming in but he stays out… after all that? Did he cross the white pit lane line before ducking back out again? A flurry of pit stops. This could be a penalty for Sainz.
06:48 AM GMT
Lap 26 of 50 – Hamilton has dropped back from Leclerc
Sainz has overtaken Leclerc as Verstappen pits. Hamilton then closes right up on Leclerc after the Ferrari, I think, let his team-mate through. Sainz does not want to be on the hard tyres any longer, though. Or at least this particular set of them. He asks to pit…
06:46 AM GMT
Lap 25 of 50 – Alonso pits for the second time
His hard tyres lasted just 20 laps after an early start. This race could provide a very fascinating final third or so. Bad news for Williams, Albon who is in the points, has been told to retire the car because of a terminal issue.
Piastri pits from ninth…
06:45 AM GMT
Lap 25 of 50 – Full race order
RUS
VER
SAI
LEC
HAM
NOR
TSU
PIA
HUL
ALB
ZHO
PER
LAW
OCO
STR
COL
ALO
MAG
BOT
OUT: GAS
06:44 AM GMT
Lap 24 of 50 – I wouldn’t say Russell has this race sewn up
But he looks comfortable out front, certainly as we approach half-race distance. Lerclerc, Hamilton and Sainz are lapping faster than the top two… Hamilton and Leclerc by more than half a second. 14.5sec separates Russell from his team-mate in fifth.
Norris is a distant sixth, seven seconds behind Hamilton.
06:42 AM GMT
Lap 23 of 50 – Is it now for Hamilton?
He sets the fastest lap of the race… but complains that the Ferraris are fast on the straight. That has often been the case.
06:40 AM GMT
Lap 22 of 50 – Hamilton still chasing Leclerc
He has not yet been close enough to think about a move, though.
06:39 AM GMT
Lap 21 of 50 – Verstappen not really eating into Russell’s lead
The pair have lapped very similarly over the last few tours, just a tenth or so in it every time. 9.8sec the gap currently with Russell doing a fine job in search of his second victory in 2024.
06:36 AM GMT
Lap 20 of 50 – Leclerc has his mirrors full of Mercedes
Hamilton behind in fifth hs on his tail and within DRS range. McLaren are having a rotten weekend and a strange one. Sixth and eighth currently.
06:35 AM GMT
Lap 19 of 50 – Russell leads Verstappen by 10 seconds
By the way, with the positions as they stand Verstappen (below) would be crowned champion.
06:34 AM GMT
Lap 18 of 50 – Hamilton with very good pace here
Perez finally comes in for his first stop of the race and goes onto the medium tyres. He had dropped a few places on older tyres. Gasly is indeed out of the race, by the way.
06:32 AM GMT
Lap 17 of 50 – About one-third distance
Here is the top 10:
RUS
VER +9.9
SAI +12.1
PER +13.8
LEC +13.8
HAM +14.9
NOR +15.7
TSU +24.5
MAG +25.9
PIA +26.0
06:30 AM GMT
Lap 16 of 50 – Gasly complains of low power
He is told everything looks fine but is insistent it is not. He should know, he is driving the car and bang goes his engine! Luckily he is approaching the end of the pit lane and that will likely be the end of his race. Shame after qualifying in the top three.
06:28 AM GMT
Lap 15 of 50 – Hamilton unhappy but he should not be
“What the hell man, how many places have I just lost?”
Well, quite a few but you stopped and others ahead of you have not done so but will do soon enough. He is then told they would have dropped another five places had they stayed out any longer.
He is in podium contention here, for sure.
06:27 AM GMT
Lap 14 of 50 – Hamilton pits from the lead
That now means Russell leads Perez, who has not stopped and started on the hard tyres. Hamilton comes out behind Norris and that overcut has put him into podium contention as the Mercedes cars are showing good pace here. Hulkenberg in third on the hard tyres has also not yet stopped.
06:26 AM GMT
Lap 13 of 50 – Hamilton leads
Mercedes did not double stack. Russell is only five seconds behind, though. A very slow stop for Lance Stroll, not sure why exactly but this has been a very messy few races for Lance Stroll. Tsunoda hits the speed limit board at the end of the pit lane and Ocon completely misses his marks in the pits and has to go around another time. Chaotic so far…
06:24 AM GMT
Lap 12 of 50 – Russell’s time to stop
Will Mercedes double stack? I wonder if this race will turn into a two-stopper. A long way to go and we have not seen much action on the hard compound which remain a question mark.
06:23 AM GMT
Lap 11 of 50 – Russell leads Verstappen by 9.2sec
In comes Verstappen for his first pit stop. He was 1.4sec slower than Russell last time around. The leader in the Mercedes is bossing it at the moment. That pit stop promotes Hamilton to second, making it a Mercedes 1-2, albeit with Hamilton 15 seconds behind.
Quick stop for Red Bull but Verstappen goes out straight into traffic behind Bottas and Magnussen in fourth and fifth, who have not stopped. He has, however, jumped both Ferrari cars and Lando Norris in that pit stop phase.
06:21 AM GMT
Lap 10 of 50 – Bad news for McLaren
Piastri has a five-second time penalty for a jump start. Norris comes into the pit lane on the same lap as Leclerc. Verstappen on the charge now as the medium tyres fall off on the Ferrari. Verstappen overtakes another former team-mate, this time Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari for second as Sainz dives into the pits.
Russell leads Verstappen by 8.2sec.
06:19 AM GMT
Lap 9 of 50 – Top 10
RUS
SAI
VER
LEC
NOR
GAS
HAM
TSU
PIA
HUL
Leclerc called into the pits and I am not surprised with his pace. It was the tyres.
06:18 AM GMT
Lap 8 of 50 – Something IS up with Leclerc
He has dropped back behind Sainz and now behind Verstappen. Is the problem with the car or has he burned his tyre life far too early? He was more than three seconds slower than Russell on the last lap…
06:16 AM GMT
Lap 7 of 50 – What has happened to Leclerc?
He has dropped back to 2.2sec behind Russell now. Hamilton is duelling with Piastri on the back straight. Piastri keeps the inside line after breaking the tow and keeps eighth. Not looking like a great afternoon for McLaren here. Hamilton looks to have decent pace.
06:14 AM GMT
Lap 6 of 50 – Russell extends his lead
It is now 1.6sec from the first place man to the second placed man.
06:12 AM GMT
Lap 5 of 50 – Leclerc takes the lead!
But then Russell takes it back straight away… it didn’t quite work for the Ferrari man.
Verstappen has also taken fourth place off Pierre Gasly. Piastri has been noted for a potential jump start. He is down in ninth at the moment with Norris in sixth.
06:10 AM GMT
Lap 4 of 50 – Leclerc is closing in on Russell
The gap closes to within four tenths as Leclerc sets the fastest lap of the race, though he does lose a couple of tenths at the start of the following lap.
06:08 AM GMT
Lap 3 of 50 – Top 10 at the start of the lap
RUS
LEC
SAI
GAS
VER
NOR
TSU
HUL
PIA
HAM
06:08 AM GMT
Lap 2 of 50 – Russell leads Leclerc and Sainz
Verstappen is all over the back of Gasly in fourth and DRS has been enabled. Former team-mates, of course, at Red Bull.
06:06 AM GMT
THE LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX IS GO!
Russell makes a good start and keeps the lead. Leclerc is up two places ahead of Gasly and Sainz and into second! Verstappen keeps fifth from Norris and Lawson and Magnussen have some great battles on that first lap. Hamilton stays 10th.
06:03 AM GMT
Fernando Alonso on the soft tyres
He is the only driver on them. Top 13 in fact, not 15, all on mediums then everyone else but Stroll and Albon on the hards.
We are nearly ready to go…
06:01 AM GMT
The formation lap begins
All drivers away cleanly, thankfully.
06:00 AM GMT
Should be a one-stopper
That is what Pirelli think. A Safety Car some way into the race would change that, though. Top 15 drivers all on the mediums.
05:55 AM GMT
We are nearly ready to get going
Predictions? Ferrari win for me. Leclerc.
05:49 AM GMT
Verstappen on the grid
He says it’s very windy, cold and essentially difficult for driving. The tricky conditions provided a good race last year so let’s hope for the same this year.
05:39 AM GMT
Martin Brundle’s Sky Sports F1 gridwalk is a bit of a failure today
He fails to locate a single driver or notable celeb in the first five minutes other than film producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
05:38 AM GMT
Final starting grid
2. SAI 1. RUS
4. LEC 3. GAS
6. NOR 5. VER
8. PIA 7. TSU
10. HAM 9. HUL
12. MAG 11. OCO
14. LAW 13. ZHO
16. ALO 15. PER
18. STR 17. ALB
19. BOT
PIT LANE: COL
Hell of a lap from Gasly, following up Alpine’s double podium in Brazil a few weeks ago strongly.
05:37 AM GMT
The pit lane opened 10 minutes ago
And Max Verstappen was the first driver out…
05:28 AM GMT
How each man has fared in qualifying vs his team-mate
05:23 AM GMT
F1 driver standings
05:21 AM GMT
What Verstappen needs to do to win the title
In short, if he finishes ahead of Norris then he is champion. Norris needs to take at least three points from his rival to continue the battle into Qatar.
05:17 AM GMT
Hamilton wasn’t best pleased with his efforts in qualifying
“I didn’t do the job,” he said. “The car felt different in Q3 and stability was not there for some reason. I had it before. But ultimately I didn’t put the laps together. I should have been on pole but I am not. It is what it is. C’est la vie. You live to fight another day.”
The season, where he has won two races, is ending on a sour note and he has been obliterated by his team-mate in qualifying.
05:09 AM GMT
Current constructor standings
Max Verstappen has a chance to win his fourth title today but the constructors’ championship is still to play for. McLaren currently hold the lead but this weekend it is advantage to Ferrari after a poor qualifying from the British team.
36 points the gap at the top and Ferrari could go a good way to closing that today with a good finish. Red Bull are only 13 points behind Red Bull but, given Perez’s performances, look all but out of it.
05:03 AM GMT
Franco Colapinto’s qualifying ended in the walls
He has had a fine start to his F1 career so far but crashes in Brazil and now in Las Vegas have added to Williams’ already substantial repair bill for the season.
04:59 AM GMT
Positions and times after qualifying
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1min 32.312secs
Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Ferrari 1:32.410
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:32.664
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:32.783
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:32.797
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:33.008
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:33.029
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:33.033
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 1:33.062
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:48.106
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:33.221
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:33.297
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Kick Sauber 1:33.566
Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 1:33.749
Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:34.257
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:34.155
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:34.258
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:34.425
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:34.430
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:34.484
04:55 AM GMT
Good morning F1 fans
Welcome to our coverage of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the second at this track on the Vegas Strip. After a three-week gap we are into the final stretch of what has been a largely captivating Formula One season. As has been the case in the previous two seasons, it looks very much like Max Verstappen will be crowned drivers’ champion a few races in advance of the season’s conclusion.
What does Verstappen need to do to ensure that is the case today? Well, there are myriad possibilities and permutations but the long and short of it is that if Verstappen finishes ahead of Norris he wins his fourth world drivers’ title. It’s not impossible that Norris keeps the battle alive until Qatar but he needs to take at least three points out of the Red Bull driver to do that.
In the last couple of months the pair have battled several times on track with varying (and sometimes controversial) outcomes and they line up alongside one another this afternoon in Las Vegas, although this time not on the front row but on the third row with Verstappen just ahead of the McLaren driver. Who could rule out another clashing of wheels?
In truth neither man looked like taking pole position in yesterday’s session. Mercedes topped every single practice and qualifying session heading into Q3 yesterday and it was George Russell who completed Mercedes’ dominance over one lap this weekend, taking his third pole of the season. It was a fine, fine lap at the very end of qualifying having been bumped down to fifth before he crossed the line.
The same cannot be said of Lewis Hamilton, who enters his final few races with Mercedes before heading to Ferrari. The Briton was certainly in contention for pole position but two mistakes on his two hot laps in Q3 mean that he will start today’s race in 10th. It would be too much to say that he has “checked out” at Mercedes, but he has made a few too many errors in a car that he has made it absolutely clear he dislikes.
Carlos Sainz is also leaving his team, Ferrari for Williams this time. He narrowly missed out to Russell but will hope that his Ferrari’s race pace is enough to secure him a third win of 2024. The surprise package was no doubt Pierre Gasly’s Alpine who finished in third. It comes soon after the team’s double podium in Brazil a few weeks ago and boosts their hopes of securing sixth in the constructors’.
The race begins at 6am GMT and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction.
