Hanna Ifri
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. At least, that’s how the saying goes—but what happened at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix will be spoken about for years to come. Max Verstappen clinched his fourth World Championship, joining the likes of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull Hall of Fame. While he didn’t finish the race on the podium, Verstappen scored enough points to secure the world title two races early.
The Vegas Grand Prix saw Mercedes’ George Russell deliver a race to remember, claiming victory under the dazzling Vegas Strip lights. Joining him on the podium were his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, rounding off a thrilling top three.
Starting from pole, Russell maintained his lead off the line, with Charles Leclerc slotting into second after overtaking his teammate and Pierre Gasly. Meanwhile, Verstappen and Lando Norris started side by side on the grid, setting the stage for a tense opening lap. True to form, Verstappen held Norris at bay and began climbing his way through the field.
In the midfield, chaos ensued as Oscar Piastri was penalised for a false start, allowing Nico Hülkenberg to seize P8 in his bid to secure crucial points. For Hülkenberg and Haas, every point mattered in the tight fight with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda in the driver standings.
The race’s early laps were anything but calm. By lap eight, Carlos Sainz had reclaimed his qualifying position, overtaking Leclerc. However, Leclerc soon faded, losing pace dramatically and allowing Verstappen to overtake. Fans speculated whether Leclerc had pushed too hard, too soon, in his pursuit of Russell.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly suffered a disappointing end to his race with a power loss and a smoking engine, forcing him to retire. Through this, the front of the grid began to look interesting as Russell maintained a commanding 10-second lead over Sainz, now in P2. Meanwhile, Hamilton was closing in on Leclerc in a fierce battle for fourth.
Williams endured another tough outing. Alex Albon having to retire on lap 25 following instructions from his team, capping a dismal weekend. After Franco Colapinto’s crash during qualifying, which totalled his car, Williams arrived in Vegas acutely aware of their budgetary constraints, and hopes for a strong result were slim.
Ferrari faced criticism for rejecting Sainz’s earlier radio requests to pit
Controversy erupted at Ferrari as Carlos Sainz cut across the white line at pit entry after discovering his crew wasn’t ready for him. Ferrari faced criticism for rejecting Sainz’s earlier radio requests to pit, a decision analysts later confirmed may have cost him the win.
In the latter stages of the race, Hamilton overtook Verstappen on the back straight to secure second place. Verstappen then made a minor mistake at turn five, allowing Sainz to close the gap. By turn 14, the Ferrari driver swept past Verstappen to claim P3.
Further down the order, Lando Norris was two places behind Verstappen, with his McLaren teammate close behind. For Norris, the race was pivotal in determining whether the title fight would extend to Qatar or if Verstappen would seal the deal in Vegas. With Leclerc also passing Verstappen to drop him to fifth, fans briefly speculated about the title’s fate.
Red Bull erupted with joy as the Dutch Lion secured his fourth World Drivers’ Championship
After fifty laps of high-octane racing under the neon lights, the chequered flag waved for George Russell, who claimed his second win of the season. It wasn’t just the Mercedes garage celebrating that night—Red Bull erupted with joy as the Dutch Lion secured his fourth World Drivers’ Championship.
With two races left on the calendar, attention now shifts to the Constructors’ Championship. Will it be McLaren, Ferrari, or Red Bull taking home the glory?
Hanna Ifri
Featured image courtesy of Dulant Pang via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @f1 via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @f1 via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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