F1 Las Vegas GP live updates: Max Verstappen bids to seal his ...
Formula One is in Nevada for round 22 of the 2024 world championship at Las Vegas Strip Circuit, where Max Verstappen could clinch his fourth drivers’ championship.
George Russell (Mercedes) will start on pole with Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) joining him on the front row. Drivers' championship leader Verstappen (Red Bull) starts fifth, next to closest challenger Lando Norris (McLaren) in sixth.
Starts: 10pm PST (1am Sunday EST, 6am GMT) Watch: ESPN (US), Sky Sports (UK)Streaming: Fubo (try for free)Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here
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The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last year was one of the biggest events in the history of the sport.
The race start time of 10pm PST (1am EST) marked the latest lights out in F1 history — a time driven by seeking a compromise between fans in Vegas and the bulk of F1’s audience watching in Europe on Sunday morning.
The timings challenged the entire paddock. Daniel Ricciardo said people felt “delirious”, while Charles Leclerc said it was “a bit on the limit”.
This year, there have been tweaks to the schedule for FP2 and qualifying — but the race start?
That has stayed the same. And you will find out why in Luke Smith’s piece below.
GO FURTHER
Why F1’s Las Vegas GP is keeping its 10 p.m. PT start time for 2024
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The second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix calls for the second holding of the Dominski family competition at the reaction time game in the Sphere fan zone. Last year, I trounced my brother and my brother-in-law.
This year, let’s say I did the same. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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All eyes may be on Max Verstappen and Lando Norris come tonight with the two championship contenders lining up side-by-side for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but they won’t be on the front row.
Or even among the top four.
George Russell secured pole in the cold temperatures, with Carlos Sainz alongside him, on a track where Ferrari is expected to fare well compared to next weekend in Qatar.
Pierre Gasly shocked the F1 world by qualifying third, a few weeks after Alpine secured a double podium, and Charles Leclerc will slide into the grid spot next to his close friend.
Ferrari could be poised to take a chunk out of McLaren’s championship lead if it can stay within the top-four realm and keep McLaren at bay.
There’s plenty to play for under the dazzling lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Below you will find all the storylines we’re watching heading into tonight’s race.
GO FURTHER
F1 Las Vegas GP preview: Mercedes eyes surprise win as Verstappen nears coronation
Michael Dominski/The Athletic
We’re an hour from lights out and Ludacris is keeping the crowd near Sphere entertained. Should I be proud or embarrassed that 'Word of Mouf' was the first album I ever owned?
We’re edging closer to the real deal — it’s now just one hour to wait for the start of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Will the Ferraris pick off George Russell? Is this the night Max Verstappen becomes a four-time world champion? And can Pierre Gasly sustain the Alpine revival?
I hope you’re feeling as excited as we are — and in the meantime, the build-up continues…
Between the previous race in Brazil and this weekend in Las Vegas, the dynamic between F1’s drivers and the sport’s regulator, the FIA, has shifted.
First came a rare public statement by the drivers’ union, the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), that hit back at the FIA over recent controversies surrounding swearing, sparked by Max Verstappen’s news conference f-bomb that was deemed to be misconduct.
A bigger shock followed. With only three races remaining in the season, the FIA announced F1’s race director, Niels Wittich, had stepped down from his role to “pursue new opportunities.”
Wittich later confirmed to both Motorsport Magazin and BBC Sport he had not resigned, pointing to him being pushed out. The FIA refused to comment beyond its initial statement.
Now the drivers have to get used to a new way of racing under Rui Marques, the Formula Two and Formula Three race director who is taking over.
A race like Las Vegas, taking place on a high-speed street track with a greater chance of on-track incidents, is a difficult one at which to start his new role.
GO FURTHER
F1 drivers push for better FIA ties after race director’s sudden exit: ‘Us against them’
Pirelli
As usual, F1 tire provider Pirelli has assessed what’s in store for the field from its headquarters in Milan — and it makes for interesting reading.
With the Las Vegas Strip Circuit being the second longest on the 2024 calendar behind Spa-Francorchamps, and the Mojave desert temperature drop that comes with a night race, Pirelli expects the cars to be running in air temperatures of around 10C (50 degrees Fahrenheit). Track temperatures are expected to be similar.
In short, it’s going to be cold.
Those temperatures, as well as visiting a street circuit, allows Pirelli to use its softest compound tires.
Pirelli expects most cars to take on a two-stop strategy come the race — although a one-stop will remain an option for those confident they can make it work.
Pirelli also suggests going longer with the first stint of the race — basically putting off your first pit stop as long as possible — will be more beneficial than trying to go longer at the end, because it will take a while to get the tires up to their ideal operating temperature from off the grid.
If you’ve read this far, make sure you take a closer look at Pirelli’s preview graphic, attached above.
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In fact, it's 66 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Wind is making it feel cooler, but where I'm from in Texas, we call that a pleasant day!
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Franco Colapinto is on the drivers’ parade ahead of the race, less than 24 hours after his 50G crash in qualifying that left Williams uncertain if he’d be fit to race.
The team confirmed this afternoon that Colapinto would be racing, starting from the pit lane after setup changes were made to his repaired car. It was the third major crash for Colapinto in the space of two race weekends after shunts in qualifying and the race at Interlagos two weeks ago.
In true racing driver style, Colapinto was more worried about his car than himself, it seemed:
???? “I’m all good, fully recovered. The most important thing is that the car is back in one piece. I’m very sorry for the guys. I am so, so grateful for everything they have been doing.”
GO FURTHER
Inside Franco Colapinto’s rapid Williams F1 rise: ‘A trajectory like a mountain slope’
The United States was back in the F1 spotlight come October, after the sport took almost four weeks on the sidelines.
Circuit of The Americas in Texas hosted the 2024 U.S. Grand Prix and it started in ominous fashion, with Red Bull’s upgrades delivering a dominant sprint race victory for Max Verstappen — his first F1 win of any kind in 112 days.
But that pace didn’t carry into the grand prix sessions.
Lando Norris delivered a stunning lap in an aborted Q3 to claim pole for McLaren, before Ferrari took the race by storm. Charles Leclerc blitzed his third victory of the year, with outgoing teammate Carlos Sainz just behind.
The rest of the fun was saved for Norris and Verstappen, whose lengthy sparring ended with Norris’ late overtake of the Dutchman as both cars exceeded track limits.
Verstappen picked up a warning, Norris got a five-second penalty for not handing the position back, and it was Red Bull who could celebrate the final podium spot.
GO FURTHER
Charles Leclerc wins F1 U.S. Grand Prix, Lando Norris loses podium to late penalty
I’ve been for a wander around the paddock, and it’s definitely more windy out there than it has been at any other point in the race weekend. On the drivers’ parade, everyone is wrapped up warm and the breeze is obvious to see.
But how might this change things on the track? It can have a big impact on how the drivers approach corners; a headwind or a tailwind can make a big difference for top speed. The wind will also be blowing any dirt across the track which is already low on grip after being opened back up to road traffic.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc:
???? “For sure it’s going to change a few things in some corners, We’ll have to adapt quickly.”
Las Vegas is the last of Formula One’s three visits to the United States in 2024.
It all kicked off with the Miami Grand Prix back in May, where Max Verstappen took sprint and grand prix pole in qualifying — also dominating the sprint race.
But the grand prix was a different matter, and a little piece of history for Lando Norris as the McLaren driver claimed his first F1 victory.
It felt like quite the moment, given Norris went on to push Verstappen at the top of the drivers’ championship as the season progressed.
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Earlier, The Athletic's Madeline Coleman asked celebrity chef (and frequent F1 guest) Gordon Ramsay what he loved about last year's debut in Las Vegas:
???? "The Las Vegas Grand Prix last year was absolutely incredible. Amazing, everything we all hoped it would be and so, so much more. Seeing those aerial shots of the Strip turned into the race track, and the night excitement watching those cars race down the Strip and being lucky enough to have restaurants right in the center of the Strip with cars going past it at 220 miles an hour was unreal. But honestly, the vision, and the way Vegas lit up, was extraordinary. And to see it live and to be there for the first time ever ... it was one of the most exciting weekends of my life."
Ramsay is hosting a VIP experience tonight inside one of the garages called "Ramsay's Garage." Tickets cost around $35,000.
I'm so glad they brought that back. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but isn't that the whole point?
With less than two hours until lights out, Michael Buffer is currently doing driver introductions. The drivers are walking down a red carpet to board their vehicle for the parade. It sounded like Lewis Hamilton received the loudest cheers from the grandstands. And of course, Michael capped the intros with his signature “Let’s get ready to rumbllllllle!” (His brother Bruce is also on hand, by the way.)
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The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last year came with a lot of pre-race hype and razzmatazz — and then the track action delivered its part of the bargain.
In a season of routine predictability, this race was as good as it got. Even Max Verstappen didn’t have things all his own way, penalized for forcing Charles Leclerc off the track at Turn 1 (we’ve seen that move a few times before and since) — but then showing the Red Bull’s dominance to claw his way back into the lead. He held that to the checkered flag.
Leclerc was supreme in pinching second off Sergio Perez in the final corners however, while Esteban Ocon excelled in claiming fourth for Alpine.
A repeat of that action on F1’s second visit would be very welcome.
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Max Verstappen entered this week as the betting favorite to win in Las Vegas — but after the practice sessions and qualifying, Verstappen is fourth in the odds.
Following qualifying, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sit as co-favorites at +225, a shift from Friday morning when Leclerc was slightly favored over McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Now with the grid set and Norris starting P6, he’s dropped to fifth in the odds at +800.
Verstappen, who will start in fifth, is just ahead of Norris at +500 — while Mercedes pole-sitter George Russell is third on the betting board at +300.
GO FURTHER
F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix odds: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz favored after qualifying
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Would you agree, Phil Keoghan?
