Mercedes driver George Russell won the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 23. Russell drove masterfully, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s fifth-place finish, one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, got more attention because it locked in Verstappen’s F1 World Drivers’ Championship for the season. With Verstappen’s fourth consecutive F1 crown, he joins a small group of drivers in F1’s 75-year history.
Verstappen’s Championship win
Max Verstappen started the 2024 race season as a continuance of 2023, when he dominated, winning 19 of 22 races. Midway into the season, after the June 23 Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull’s car wasn’t as competitive as previously. The McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers took the top step on the winners’ podium until the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 3, when Verstappen won.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was closest to Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship points total and was going fast. Before the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen was 63 points ahead of Norris. With only three races left in the season. Given how points are distributed, all Verstappen had to do to wrap up the Championship was to beat Norris. And he did.
Las Vegas Grand Prix Race Results
When George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix on June 30, it was only the fourth time another driver had won besides Verstappen. Russell’s LVGP win certainly counts, and Mercedes team Principal Toto Wolf praised Russell’s driving as “from another planet,” but his victory pales in comparison to Max’s winning the championship.
The following are the finishing positions and the points earned in the 2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix:
| Place | Driver | Team | Championship Points |
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 25 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 18 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 12 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 10 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 8 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 6 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 4 |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda | 2 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 0 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 0 |
| 13 | Zhou Quanju | Kick Sauber | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | 0 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 0 |
| 16 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda | 0 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 0 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 0 |
| 19 | Alex Albon | Williams | 0 |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 0 |
