Jackpot for Verstappen in Las Vegas
Image: Formula One
Formula One’s second outing to its most modern iteration of the Las Vegas Circuit saw Max Verstappen clinch his fourth driver’s world championship. The 22nd round of this current season also brought drama and plenty of action with a dominant drive from George Russell and a great performance Mercedes in general. So, without further ado, let’s get stuck into an action-filled race weekend.
Qualifying
Image: Haas F1
It was a tense qualifying session with so many contenders for pole position. All three practice sessions were headed by Mercedes, so it was clear that the team from Brackley was the favourite for the weekend.
Lance Stroll struggled to get a quick lap in as the Canadian driver suffered from issues with his Energy Recovery System (ERS). Stroll’s teammate, Fernando Alonso, also couldn’t put in a good enough lap time, leaving him at risk of elimination. It was also yet another shocking performance from Sergio Perez, who has been rumoured to stay at the Red Bull outfit for the 2025 season. The Mexican driver tried to put in a clean lap but was edged by his potential replacement, Liam Lawson.
A crash for Franco Colapinto in Q2 brought the session to a premature end, leaving drivers including Esteban Ocon and Zhou Guanyu eliminated.
It was George Russell who clinched his fourth career pole position, stealing the top spot off Carlos Sainz, whilst Pierre Gasly lined up an impressive third.
Four-middable
Image: Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen secured his fourth world championship under the lights in Vegas in dominant fashion. The 27-year-old finished in fifth place, ahead of his closest rival, Lando Norris, who had to outscore the Dutchman to keep his title hopes alive. With Verstappen outscoring the Brit, he became the fifth driver ever to win four titles back-to-back.
It wasn’t a perfect weekend for the Red Bull driver as his RB20 looked sluggish compared to the Mercedes, Ferraris, and McLarens, rendering him out of contention. All he needed to do was outscore Norris and he’d be world champion, and he pulled his sleeves up to do exactly that. With a stunning victory last time out in Interlagos, it was almost certain that Verstappen would clinch the title, with poor form from Norris in recent races.
With this most recent title, Verstappen joins a small exclusive club of legends to win four or more titles including Juan Miguel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton. Whether he’ll win any more depends on the development of the Red Bull car for 2025 and beyond, as the Dutchman has already expressed that he doesn’t intend on sticking around in the sport for much longer.
‘Das ist wunderbar’
Image: Mercedes AMG-F1 Team
George Russel took his second win of the season in Las Vegas, in a commanding drive, converting his flawless pole to a victory. Off the start, he defended from Norris brilliantly and disappeared off into the distance. With his teammate Lewis Hamilton down in P10 on the grid, the seven-time world champion had it all to do as he cruised up to the back of Carlos Sainz and secured a dominant 1-2 for the Mercedes team.
Hamilton on his Las Vegas GP weekend:
We don't know why we were so quick this weekend, but that's the best the car's ever felt, so I'm grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.
It was a chance for the team from Brackley to bounce back after a few races where it’s been unable to challenge the likes of McLaren and Ferrari. With only two rounds remaining, it’s not the finish Lewis Hamilton would have wanted at the team he’s made history with. Whether Hamilton scores one final win will have to be seen.
Final Race Classification
1 - George RUSSELL
2 - Lewis HAMILTON
3 - Carlos SAINZ
4 - Charles LECLERC
5 - Max VERSTAPPEN
6 - Lando NORRIS
7 - Oscar PIASTRI
8 - Nico HULKENBERG
9 - Yuki TSUNODA
10 - Sergio PEREZ
11 - Fernando ALONSO
12 - Kevin MAGNUSSEN
13 - ZHOU Guanyu
14 - Franco COLAPINTO
15 - Lance STROLL
16 - Liam LAWSON
17 - Esteban OCON
18 - Valtteri BOTTAS
DNF - Alexander ALBON
DNF - Pierre GASLY
