McLaren wary of F1 title rivals Ferrari and Red Bull in Las Vegas

Mercedes showed strong pace under the chilly Las Vegas skies, with Lewis Hamilton topping both practice sessions and George Russell finishing P3. Norris managed to split the Silver Arrows on the timing sheets, missing Hamilton’s benchmark by just 0.011s. Piastri was almost a second down on the top times, in P8.

Despite Mercedes’ impressive performance, they are no longer contenders in the 2024 F1 Constructors’ Championship. McLaren lead the standings with three Grands Prix and a Sprint Race remaining, holding a 36-point advantage over Ferrari and a 49-point cushion over Red Bull in P3. Ferrari's drivers, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, ended the day P4 and P5, with less than a second covering the top five.

However, Red Bull endured a difficult opening day, with Max Verstappen in P17 and Sergio Perez in P19. Despite this, Stella warned against underestimating their rivals: “There were no surprises during the first day of running here in Las Vegas. Similar to last year with the cold conditions, we expected low grip and unique tyre behaviour, and that was the case."

Stella continued: "However, Mercedes seem to be very quick, likewise Ferrari, and I’m sure Red Bull will also be competitive for the rest of the weekend. We need to work hard to maximise the performance of the car in these tricky conditions and score as many points as possible,” he explained.

Norris delivered a strong performance in FP2, finishing a fraction behind Hamilton. Reflecting on the session, he said: “Thursday done in Vegas. It’s nice to be back in the car. It was tough out on track. It’s slippery and there’s very low grip, similar to last year, so we expected these conditions."

"It’s slightly difficult to feel comfortable and get the car in a good place, but we made some progress, which is always positive. We still have some more work to do, so we’ll debrief and prepare,” added Norris, who currently holds P2 in the Drivers’ standings, trailing Verstappen by 62 points.

Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, faced a tougher outing, finishing nearly a second off Norris. The Australian remained optimistic, saying: “An interesting day. There are a couple of things we need to work on, but I think the pace seems pretty reasonable, so I’m relatively happy with today.

“It’s now just about getting it all together and getting the tyres into the right window, which I’m not sure I fully did today. I still think there are a lot of positives to take away; we just need to tidy it up ahead of Qualifying,” Piastri concluded.

With McLaren aiming for their first F1 Constructors’ Championship since 1998, the team will focus on consolidating their advantage in the final rounds. As the Las Vegas weekend unfolds, their ability to adapt to the evolving track conditions will be critical in maintaining their lead over Ferrari and Red Bull.