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F1 World Championships are on the line at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Las Vegas race could tie a ribbon on Verstappen's fourth Championship

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Aerial shot of the 2023 F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Courtesy of Formula 1

F1 Red Bull driver Max Verstappen could wrap up the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Drivers’ World Championship at the November 21 to 23 Las Vegas Grand Prix, but McLaren’s Lando Norris still has a slim chance at winning the title. McLaren and Ferrari are leading Red Bull in the Constructors’ competition.

As the 2024 Formula 1 schedule draws to a close, the Drivers’ World Championship and the Constructors’ World Championship are still undecided. This late-season contention contrasts with the beginning of the calendar when, after seven wins in ten races, it seemed that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and his team would dominate, as they did in 2023.

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The F1 World Drivers’ Championship

Verstappen’s Championship points margin over other drivers from the beginning of the season, his recent podium finishes and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory don’t entirely rule out anyone else winning the Drivers’ Championship.

After the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Norris is the only driver who could take the crown from Verstappen. Verstappen currently has 393 Championship points, and Norris has 331. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, in third place, has 307 points, which makes it mathematically impossible for him to beat Verstappen. So, the only drivers to consider are Verstappen and Norris.

Any scenario that results in a Norris Drivers’ Championship requires That he wins all three races and Verstappen gains minimal or no points in the last three races. Suppose Verstappen finishes the Las Vegas Grand Prix ahead of Norris. In that case, Verstappen won the championship because insufficient points would be available in the last two races to overcome Verstappen’s lead. If Norris scores more than three points than Verstappen in Las Vegas, he still has a chance.

The F1 World Constructors’ Championship

Red Bull is in third place for the Constructors’ title.  McLaren has 593 Championship points, Ferrari 557 points, and Red Bull 544 points.

Each team’s driver’s points are combined to determine the team’s points. Even though Verstappen is leading in driver points, his fellow Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, who has amassed 151 points, has not been performing as well as McClaren’s Oscar Piastri (262 points) or Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (244 points).

Regardless of how the drivers finish in Las Vegas, the point gaps are close, and the remaining points to be won in the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are sufficient to ensure that the Constructors’ Championship will not be decided in Vegas.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
Former Contributing Editor
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
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