LAS VEGAS: Max Verstappen will become just the sixth man in Formula One history to win four world championship titles if he can see off his friend and rival Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend.

Red Bull’s three-time champion, who ended a 10-race winless drought by storming to victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil three weeks ago, needs only to stay ahead of Norris, or keep the McLaren driver out of the top eight finishers, to retain his crown.

The Dutchman, on 393, holds a 62-point lead over Norris, on 331, with 60 more points to be won after the Vegas race.
He knows he has no need to gamble as he seeks to join multiple champions Juan Manuel Fangio (five titles), Alain Prost (four), Michael Schumacher (seven), Sebastian Vettel (four) and Lewis Hamilton (seven).

After a blistering start to the season which saw him win seven of the first 10 races, Verstappen suffered a dip that saw his aggressive racing style called into question.

A return to form in Brazil and the experience of having won on the garish streets of Sin City in the inaugural Las Vegas event last year makes Verstappen a clear favourite to take his fourth title in consecutive years.

“Brazil was incredible for us,” said Verstappen. “It was a really special moment for myself and for the team and it was great to see us back to the form we were in before.

“The team did an amazing job and we hope to continue that into the next races. It’s the final push for everyone. We performed well here last year. It’s a really fast circuit with long straights and a lot of overtaking opportunities.”

McLaren, however, seeking a first constructors’ title since 1998, will aim to postpone the seemingly inevitable as the F1 circus enters a triple-header finale to the season with races to follow in Qatar and Abu Dhabi on December 1 and 8.

McLaren lead the teams’ title race with 593 ahead of Ferrari on 557 and Red Bull on 544.

Norris will have to beat Verstappen and finish in the top eight to keep his challenge alive — but with the constructors’ title up for grabs, he will race with clear instructions not to take excessive risks after crashing out last year and flopping in Brazil where he finished sixth after starting from pole in a rain-hit race.

“We’ll be under the lights in Las Vegas,” said Norris referring to the scheduled Saturday night starting time. “Driving along the ‘Strip’ is cool and I’m looking forward to racing there. We’ve had a good car this year and I can’t wait to see what we can do there.”

His McLaren team chief Zak Brown urged Norris to push to the limits, but not exceed them this weekend following two flashpoint battles between the pair in Texas and Mexico.

“He drove brilliantly in Austin and the only thing he could have done differently would have been to drive into Max’s car, but that’s not our style, nor is it Lando’s,” he said, recalling a controversial clash between the pair.

“Lando drives hard, but fair but Max pushes the rules to the limit. You have to show him where the limits are and if that’s not done, there will be scenes like the one between Lewis [Hamilton] and Max in 2021 when Lewis said to himself ‘enough is enough’. I don’t think we want to go back to that.”

In a close contest, both teams will rely on their second drivers Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Sergio Perez of Red Bull as they attempt to fend off Ferrari’s challenge led by Charles Leclerc, who took pole last year and finished second.

Perez, who had appeared to be in danger of not seeing out the season after his home race in October, is still searching for form but looks safe for the last three.

“It’s a track I enjoy, I like the street circuit experience, with the walls in tight,” said Perez, who was third in Vegas last season. “While it’s a spectacle of a race, for everyone attending and watching back home, its one where I know I need to perform and maximise this car and my own performance.”

Leclerc is also in a battle with Norris for second overall, with the Briton 24 points ahead.

The mid-table battle is also intense, with Alpine rocketing from ninth to sixth with a double podium finish in Brazil but only three points clear of Haas and five ahead of RB.

Formula One will have a new race director at a critical point in the championship with Portugal’s Rui Marques taking over for the first time after the sudden and surprising departure of German Neils Wittich.

Last year’s race in Las Vegas was the single largest sporting event in the city’s history, producing an economic impact of nearly $1.5 billion, according to organisers.

More than 10,000 general admission tickets have been added this time, community engagement made more of a focus and a Ferrari support race featuring for the first time.

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2024