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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 preview: Max could seal the Championship

The odds are against Lando beating Max, but it still could happen

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Las Vegas Grand Prix West Harmon Zone Grandstand seating is included in the Lewis Hamilton Vegas Package.
F1 LVGP

The Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 is November 21 to 23. Competition is tight for the F1 World Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, with the possibility that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will lock up the former on Saturday night. The Constructors’ title isn’t tied down for the season, but this week’s race won’t end the competition.

Why the Las Vegas Grand Prix is getting so much attention

The elite motorsport competition returns to Las Vegas after last year’s successful event, which was the first F1 race in the city since the early 1980s. Hosting Grand Prix races is big business; last year’s race brought in a reported $1.5 billion. This year, Las Vegas hotel groups and other entities have gone all out to attract F1 fans with race-related activations, pop-ups, culinary events, and tons of special ticket package deals.

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Driver and Constructor competitions

When the 2024 F1 Championship series began, it looked like a repeat of the 2023 season, with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen dominant. When other drivers started winning races, the season got more exciting. McLaren’s Lando Norris has had the best chance of loosening Verstappen’s lock on the World Driver Championship.

Max’s masterful performance in Sao Paulo, coming from the seventeenth position to win the race, increased his Championship points lead to 62 over Lando. With only two races remaining in the season after the Las Vegas Grand Prix this week, if Max is still 60 points or more ahead of Lando after the Vegas race, Max will win his fourth Championship.

Both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have won races this year, and even when they haven’t won, they’ve finished high enough in the points competitions that McClaren is in the lead for the Constructor title, with 593 points. Ferrari has 557 points, and Red Bull is in third with 544 points. Because the Constructor point totals combine the points from two drivers, with two races remaining after Las Vegas, the Constructor title will still be undecided.

Before the race, the Driver and Constructor points standings

Driver Championship:

Max Verstappen Red Bull 393
Lando Norris McLaren 331
Charles Leclerc Ferrari 307
Oscar Piastri McLaren 262
Carlos Sainz Ferrari 244
George Russell Mercedes 192
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 190
Sergio Perez Red Bull 151
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 62
Nico Hulkenberg Haas 31
Yuki Tsunoda RB 28
Pierre Gasly Alpine 26
Lance Stroll Aston Martin 24
Esteban Ocon Alpine 23
Kevin Magnussen Haas 14
Alexander Albon Williams 12
Daniel Ricciardo RB 12
Oliver Bearman Haas 7
Franco Colapinto Williams 5
Liam Lawson RB 4
Guanyu Zhou Sauber 0
Logan Sargeant Williams 0
Valtteri Bottas Sauber 0

Constructor Championship Points:

McClaren Mercedes 593
Ferrari 557
Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 544
Mercedes 382
Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 86
Alpine Renault 49
Haas Ferarri 46
RB Honda RBPT 44
Williams Mercedes 17
Kick Sauber Ferrari 0
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… Read Full Bio
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