Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

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

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

By
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.

Recommended Videos

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…
Topics
Is the BMW XM a perfect blend of practicality and performance
What it lacks in handling, it makes up for in comfort and practicality
Car, Transportation, Vehicle

The BMW XM has received a bit of a mixed response, but there’s a strong argument that it’s a logical next step on from the BMW M5. Think about it, the M5 is special because it combines practicality with exceptional performance. The BMW XM does the same thing, though you’re trading a little handling quality for far more practicality.

On a recent venture in BMW’s performance SUV, I weighed up the pros and cons of BMW’s most divisive vehicle. And it may be a better choice than BMW’s flagship.

Read more
Is the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 the best sports coupe on the market?
It's fast, good looking, and the sound of its V8 will send shivers down your spine.
Side view of a Mercedes-AMG GT 63

When it comes to entertaining vehicles, it’s hard to beat a good sports coupe. And, despite it being a competitive segment, there’s an argument that the Mercedes-AMG deserves a spot close to the top of the sports coupe table.

In terms of direct rivals, the AMG sits in a similar bracket to the Porsche 911, Maserati Granturismo, and the BMW M8 Competition. All of which offer a lot of power, excellent handling, and an eye catching exterior.

Read more
McLaren and Motul develop bespoke lubricant to keep them on top
Motul uses McLaren Racing to test the limits of their formulas
Auto Racing, Car, Formula One

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Ranger. It was small, reliable, and the perfect first car. However, I wasn't allowed to park it in the driveway at home because it went through as much oil as it did gas. The leak was bad enough that I had to check and refill the oil once a week. The same cadence as the gas tank. That was where I learned the importance of fluids for cars. McLaren hits the Formula 1 tracks across the globe with that importance at the forefront of mind as they compete for the championship, and will now be teaming with Motul to take their collaboration for the world's most reliable lubricant to the world of endurance racing. From the high stress of speed in Formula 1 to the endurance of long-distance racing, the perfect bespoke lubricant is on the way.

McLaren was already using a very high-performance transmission fluid, with an extremely high level of requirements. Our challenge was to go even further: decrease friction losses even more while ensuring lubricant durability over time. The formulation developed with McLaren Racing has been validated to maintain its performance over several thousand kilometers under Formula 1 conditions. And this is only the beginning: in F1, cars are constantly evolving, and the formulation will continue to progress as well. - Julien Plet, Head of R&D at Motul.

Read more