- Max Verstappen was named the 2024 F1 Drivers’ Champion after the Las Vegas Grand Prix
- McLaren still leads the Constructors’ Championship with two races left this season
- George Russell led a one-two finish for Mercedes-Benz AMG in Las Vegas
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen secured his fourth-straight Formula 1 World Championship title following Saturday’s 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It means he joins an elite group of drivers with four or more championships under their belts. The list also includes Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel each with four titles, plus Juan Manuel Fangio with five, and Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher each with seven.
Verstappen only finished in fith place in Las Vegas, but the points scored means he’s now unbeatable this season despite there still being two races left, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The race for second in the championship is still on between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, though the honors will likely go to Norris given his current gap of 21 points to Leclerc.
Unlike 2023, where Verstappen dominated with a record 19 wins as well as a record of 15-straight wins, the Red Bull driver wasn’t always the fastest in 2024, having thus far won only eight races. Red Bull’s pace has come off since the middle of the season, and the team next year also loses star aerodynamicist Adrian Newey to Aston Martin. Hamilton driving for Ferrari next season will be another wild card.
George Russell at the 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Photo via Mercedes-Benz
The win in Las Vegas went to Mercedes-Benz AMG’s George Russell, who led teammate Hamilton in a one-two finish. Third place went to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Russell led the race from pole, and finished seven seconds clear of Hamilton and close to 12 seconds ahead of Sainz.
Russell was mostly unsettled during the 50-lap race, while Hamilton drove impressively to move up to second after starting at 10th on the grid. Hamilton was helped somewhat by Leclerc, who fought for the lead early on, but fell back and had to pit early after being too aggressive on his tires.
Leclerc, together with Sainz, would get to move up again in the closing stages thanks to some caution from Verstappen. The Red Bull driver went into the race knowing he only had to finish ahead of Norris to secure the title, so despite holding a podium spot after the second round of pit stops, he opted not to battle the two Ferraris approaching his rear in the closing laps and let them easily pass. Sainz finished ahead of Leclerc, who had to settle for fourth place.
Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Photo via Ferrari
At this point, Hamilton was closing in on Russell at the front in the final few laps, repeatedly taking several tenths of a second on his teammate. However, he couldn’t catch up before the checkered flag was waved.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen’s points tally in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with 403 points. Norris is second with 340 points and Leclerc is third with 319 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren leads with 608 points. Ferrari is second with 584 points, while Red Bull, due to the poor performance of driver Sergio Perez, is back in third with 555 points.
The next race on the calendar is the Qatar Grand Prix, which is scheduled for the coming weekend.
2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Photo via Mercedes-Benz
Below are the full results from the 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix:
1) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +7.313 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +11.906 seconds
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +14.283 seconds
5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +16.582 seconds
6) Lando Norris, McLaren +43.385 seconds
7) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +51.365 seconds
8) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +59.808 seconds
9) Yuki Tsunoda, RB +62.808 seconds
10) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +63.114 seconds
11) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +69.195 seconds
12) Kevin Magnussen , Haas +69.803 seconds
13) Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +74.085 seconds
14) Franco Colapinto, Williams +75.172 seconds
15) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +84.102 seconds
16) Liam Lawson, RB +91.005 seconds
17) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
18) Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1 lap
NC) Alexander Albon, Williams – DNF
NC) Pierre Gasly, Alpine – DNF