There's potential for excitement galore at this year's Las Vegas Grand Prix with McLaren going all-out to keep their lead in the constructors' battle and Max Verstappen looking to secure the driver's title and denty Lando Norris.
It has been a long hard season, with Red Bull's Verstappen winning seven of the first ten races, But a lean spell that lasted until Sao Paulo. In Brazil, Verstappen won again and all but denied Mclaren's Norris the 2024 F1 World title.
The Briton needs a miracle in Las Vegas, Qatar or at the season finale in Abu Dhabi to win his first F1 title, while Verstappen has all but etched his name into this year's F1 World Champion trophy. His fourth in a rwo.
The first of the season closing F1 triple-header and keeping the battle alive
Las Vegas was a welcome addition to the Formula 1 calendar last year and this weekend we will once again be witness to the thrilling sight of F1 cars roaring along The Strip in the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first of the season's closing triple-header.
The organisers of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix promise an even bigger and better experience than that of twelve months ago and the leading betting sites are once again pulling out all the stops with a wide range of great offers and bonuses for motor-racing fans ahead of the contest.
The hopes of Lando Norris catching up with Max Verstappen suffered a notable setback in Brazil, however the Brit will clearly be aiming to keep the battle alive by finishing ahead of the Dutchman in his next outing. Nevertheless, the talk is all about Verstappen clinching his fourth successive F1 world championship and it will be his on Saturday night if he passes the finish line ahead of Norris.
There's no lack of motivation for Norris in this contest with his McLaren team in pole position as they fight it out for the Constructors' Championship alongside Red Bull and Ferrari.
Norris is the only driver who can beat Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship with 62 points separating the pair and three Grand Prix left of the 2024 season, namely Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi with 25 points up for grabs for the winner in each contest and 18 for the runner-up.
Points up for grabs and favourites
There is also a single F1 Sprint Race left in Qatar where points are up for grabs for the top eight finishers, starting with a maximum eight points for the winner down to a single point for eighth position.
On this basis, the most points that any driver can collect in the remaining Grand Prix is 86 points. Victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix would earn a driver 25 points for the win as well as one point for the fastest lap, while victory in the Qatar Grand Prix and F1 Sprint Race would add another 34 points (25 points for the win, a bonus point for fastest lap and eight points for the sprint win).
The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has the potential for another 26 points - 25 points for the win and a bonus point for fastest lap, meaning that after the Las Vegas Grand Prix there is potential for a driver to collect a further 60 points.
Norris is currently favourite to win the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix at a best price of 5/2, while Max Verstappen is third favourite at 10/3, behind 3/1 shot Charles Leclerc. Nevertheless, Verstappen is massive favourite to claim the drivers' championship at best odds of just 1/33 (lowest odds 1/250), compared to Lance Norris who is available at a best price of 33/1 (lowest odds 8/1).
Verstappen vs Norris for the world title in Las Vegas
Heading into the final Grand Prix of the season at Abu Dhabi, Norris must be within 59 points of Verstappen - if the gap between the two is 60 points or more, then Verstappen will have claimed the title at Las Vegas.
To put it simply, Verstappen will need to restrict any gain made by Norris to two points at most. Should the Brit gain three points or more on the drivers' championship leader at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, then he will still be in with a chance of claiming the title, albeit a very slight one.
Should Norris manage a gain of two points in the next Grand Prix, the gap will then be 60 points and should the Brit take all 60 points in the final two contests in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and Verstappen take no whatsoever - including in the F1 Sprint - then the two will finish level at the end of the season.
Moving across to the Constructors' Championship, this is a three-horse race between McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull. While Verstappen has effectively put the Drivers' championship to bed, the race to be crowned Constructors' champion is still wide open with three races still to go.
The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix is a three-horse race
Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren are out in front with 593 points and they are firm favourites to win the crown at a best price of 1/4 (lowest odds 1/8), while Ferrari - who have collected 557 points - are next in the betting at a best price of 5/1 (lowest odds 7/2), while Red Bull complete the market at best odds of 66/1, Verstappen's team having earned 544 points along the way.
With back-to-back successes in Austin and Mexico, Ferrari have delivered a late assault although in fairness it has been a case of too little and too late in their bid to dispose McLaren. With Carlos Sainz crashing out in wet conditions in Brazil, McLaren have stemmed Ferrari's momentum.
But the Italian marque should be very competitive this weekend in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the chances are that McLaren will head into the Abu Dhabi season-finale with a large enough gap to enjoy a bit of breathing space as the sun goes down on what has been a thoroughly exciting and enjoyable campaign.
This season's 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship really is McLaren's to lose and with a 36-point cushion heading into the final three rounds and drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris scoring consistently strong results, Ferrari would need a notable turn of luck in order to close the gap.
Latest News
Loading
