Formula One F1 – Las Vegas Grand Prix – Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States – November 20, 2024 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen speaks to the media before the Las Vegas Grand Prix REUTERS/Mike Blake
Max Verstappen will become Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time in a row if he beats Lando Norris in Las Vegas this weekend.
McLaren’s Norris needs to score three points more than his Red Bull rival – which requires at least a place in the top eight even if Verstappen draws a gap – to delay the inevitable for another week and continue the title fight to Qatar.
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Verstappen has a lead of 62 points, of which 60 points are still up for grabs after Las Vegas. This means the Dutch rider can lose two points to Norris and still secure the title through wins if he has eight points to the Brit’s three.
READ: F1: ‘Priceless’ Max Verstappen is on the verge of winning the world title
The reigning champion won on the colorful, lighted strip last season despite a five-second penalty and a later collision, completing a US treble, while Norris hit the wall on lap three and was eliminated.
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“This is the final push for everyone,” said Verstappen, who would become just the sixth driver to win at least four titles ahead of the final round of the season with three races on consecutive weekends.
“We performed well here last year and it’s a really fast track with long straights and lots of opportunities for overtaking and racing.”
Norris, who finished sixth in Brazil on November 3 despite starting from pole position in a race that Verstappen won from 17th on the grid, also has the constructors’ championship to think about, with McLaren 36 points clear of Ferrari at the tip lies.
READ: F1: Max Verstappen hits back at critics: ‘I know what I’m doing’
This battle, in which McLaren is aiming for its first constructors’ championship since 1998 and Ferrari its first since 2008, could come down to the wire in Abu Dhabi as Red Bull is not out of the race either.
The defending champions are 49 points behind McLaren after ending a ten-race losing streak.
Verstappen’s Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, who seemed in danger of quitting the season after his home race in October, is still searching for form but appears safe for the final three races.
“It’s a route that I enjoy. I like the experience of a street circuit with tight walls,” said Perez, who finished third in Vegas last season.
READ: F1: Max Verstappen faces scrutiny in defense of his reputation
“Although it is a spectacle of a race for everyone watching at home, it is one in which I know I must perform and maximize this car and my own performance.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was on pole position in Las Vegas last year and finished second. He is also fighting with Norris for second place overall, with the Brit 24 points clear.
The battle in the middle of the table is also intense: Alpine shot from ninth to sixth place with a double podium finish in Brazil, but is only three points ahead of Haas and five ahead of RB.
Formula 1 will have a new race director at a critical time in the championship. The Portuguese Rui Marques takes over the management for the first time after the sudden and surprising departure of the German Neils Wittich.
Last year’s race in Las Vegas was the largest sporting event in the city’s history and had an economic impact of nearly $1.5 billion, according to organizers.
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This time, more than 10,000 general admission tickets were added, there was a greater focus on community engagement, and there was a Ferrari Support Race for the first time.