George Russell started from the pole and fended off an early challenge from Charles Leclerc, then checked out on his way to an easy win in the Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday (November 24th). It was Russell’s second win of the season after taking the Austrian Grand Prix in late June. Lewis Hamilton was second after starting 10th.
“It’s been a dream of a weekend,” Russell said. “I don’t know how we’ve been so quick, but I’m just riding this wave right now.
“To get a victory here, pole position, a dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well – we couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.”
Max Verstappen clinched the world championship, his fourth in a row, by finishing fifth, well ahead of challenger Lando Norris, who was well back in a helpless sixth. Norris managed to grab an extra point by laying down the fastest lap on the final lap.
“It’s been a long season,” Verstappen said. “Of course we started off amazing, it was almost like a cruise, but then we had a tough run but as a team we kept it together, we kept working on improvements, and we pulled over the line. I’m incredibly proud of everyone, what they’ve done for me.
“Standing here as a four-time world champion, of course, is something that I never thought was possible. At the moment I’m just feeling relieved in a way but also very proud.”
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth, respectively, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in seventh behind Verstappen and Norris. Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg was eighth, with Red Bull Visa Cash App’s Yuki Tsunoda in ninth, and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez crossing the line 10th after starting 16th.
In the driver standings, Verstappen now leads Norris by 63 points. Leclerc sits in third, only 21 behind Norris.
In the constructor standings, McLaren leads Ferrari 608 to 584 after Ferrari trimmed 14 points off their rival’s lead. Red Bull is in third, just 29 behind Ferrari.
The Race
Russell blasted off the line at lights out, while Leclerc’s start was even better, as he passed Gasly and Sainz to move up to second. Verstappen and Norris held serve in fifth and sixth, as the McLaren driver hoped to delay Verstappen’s fourth championship.
Leclerc was quickly on the hunt for the lead, pressuring Russell for the lead by running the fastest lap on Lap 3. Verstappen swept by Gasly on the front straight on lap four for fourth, putting a car between Norris and himself.
Some bad news came for McLaren when Piastri faced scrutiny for a false start; certainly not what McLaren needed in their constructors championship battle with Ferrari, especially with the Ferrari’s currently running 2-3. Piastri wound up earning a five-second penalty for the infraction.
Russell survived a few Leclerc attempts for the lead and opened up a three-second cushion over the Ferrari by Lap 7. Leclerc suddenly began to struggle, losing places to Sainz and then Verstappen.
Leclerc pitted for hard tires on lap 10, with Norris doing the same. Meanwhile, Verstappen overtook Sainz for second, with Hamilton up to fourth.
Verstappen pitted on lap 11 for hard tires, and the Mercedes now ran 1-2, with Russell ahead of his teammate by 15 seconds. A quick Red Bull stop sent Verstappen back to the track in some slower traffic but ahead of both Ferraris and Norris.
Russell made his pit stop on lap 12 and emerged in second behind Hamilton. It was early, but Russell’s chances for the win were looking very bright.
After 15 laps, the order was Russell, Perez, Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton, Magnussen, Bottas, and Tsunoda.
Gasly’s race ended on Lap 16 when his engine blew, a disastrous blow after a brilliant qualifying effort of third. Gasly was nearing the pits when his engine let go, which saved the race from a certain safety car.
With Norris languishing in sixth and Verstappen in second, Verstappen’s inevitable crowning as champion appeared set. McLaren’s constructors points lead taking a hit also seemed to be unavoidable. McLaren’s lead over Ferrari was 38 points entering the race. That number was certain to shrink.
Russell continued to cruise up front, as Veratppen was making no dent in the Mercedes lead. Verstappen pitted from second on lap 28, with Hamilton following. Both took hard tires, and Verstappen emerged in fifth, with Hamilton in sixth.
There was some good news for McLaren courtesy of Ferrari as Sainz appeared to cross the pit entry white line and not pitting. Sky Sports analysts opined that the penalty was warranted, but Sainz escaped punishment.
With 20 laps remaining, Russell’s lead was 15 seconds, with a pit stop upcoming. Only a disaster in the pits, or an untimely safety car, could derail a Russell win at this point. And with Hamilton on the charge, a Mercedes 1-2 finish looked very much in play, if not highly likely.
Hamilton was right on Verstappen’s gearbox and made the pass for third on lap 32, with Verstappen wisely offering no opposition.
Russell made his final pit stop on Lap 33, leaving with hard tires and maintaining a sizable 12-second lead over Hamilton. Hamilton trimmed the lead down to under nine seconds by Lap 37 but had older tires and was likely taking more out of his than Russell.
Sainz overtook Verstappen for third on lap 42, and Leclerc soon followed, providing an additional boost to Ferrari’s constructors hopes. Leclerc took the spot on lap 47, leaving Verstappen in fifth but well ahead of Norris in sixth.
The final laps were merely a processional for Russell, and he took the checkered flag with a seven-second cushion over Hamilton. Sainz finished third, followed by Leclerc in fourth.
The Good
It was a dominant weekend for Mercedes in Las Vegas, with Russell controlling the race from the pole and Hamilton passing cars at will after starting 10th. Mercedes wasn’t challenged, and their pace advantage, should it carry over into 2025, would put Russell right in the mix for the championship.
As it stands now, the battle for the 2025 world championship could be, at the least, a six-driver battle. Even if you half that and make it a three-driver battle, that’s better than just two drivers with any real chance to win the title.
The Bad
Did Norris really say earlier in the weekend that McLaren lost the drivers championship in the first six races of the season? He did, and it was said with the eloquence of a driver making excuses for himself and his team for a number of season-long failures that easily overshadowed the team’s five wins. McLaren has left so many points on the table this season that said table could be crowned world champion.
Yuki Tsunoda almost didn’t make it through customs in Las Vegas while trying to enter the country. Tsunoda was questioned by border control and denied entry before the issue was finally resolved, and he was let in. Tsunoda speculated that the fact that he was wearing pajamas may have played a role in border agents questioning that he was an F1 driver. That seems odd because in America, pajamas are basically formal wear, school uniforms, and church clothes.
Can we just put Toto Wolff and Christian Horner in a cage and let them settle their childish, petty differences once and for all, while we simultaneously blast that cage into outer space in a spaceship destined not to return to earth?
Grid Walk Moments
Martin Brundle’s “Grid Walk” was half-heartedly introduced by UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer, who seemed quite subdued compared to his normal amped-to-the-max self. Let me say that compared to his more talented brother Michael’s “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” catchphrase intro, Bruce’s “It’s Time” is by far the dumbest of the Buffer brothers and also may also be the dumbest among ring announcers in the history of time. “It’s Time?” That’s the best he could do? Where did Bruce come up with that one? In the waiting area before a colonoscopy? While waiting for “The Rapture?”
Brundle’s “Grid Walk” began with someone inviting Brundle to speak with Bernie Ecclestone’s daughter. I’m not sure who offered the invitation (it was probably Bernie), but I am sure a bribe was offered.
But that wasn’t all; someone later suggested Brundle talk to Jenny McCarthy. Brundle replied with the equivalent of “Nah. I’m good” and moved on searching for a celebrity with relevance and without wacky, ant-vaccination views.
And I’m guessing Gladiator II star Paul Mescal didn’t “randomly” run into Brundle on the grid. This appeared to be just another in a long list of “Gladiator II” promotions forced down viewer’s throats. So, much like the outcome at Abu Dhabi in 2021, “This was a setup” are the words that come to mind.
Brundle ran into “The World’s Fastest Man” Noah Lyles, and after a less-than-enlightening exchange, Brundle probably impressed the Olympic gold medalist with his own speed when he implied, “Watch how fast I end this interview.”
The Disappointing
Pierre Gasly’s engine blew just 16 laps into the race, wasting the Alpine’s magnificent qualifying effort of third. This result came on the heels of an Alpine 2-3 finish in Brazil, where Gasly took third behind Esteban Ocon in second. Ocon finished 19th in Las Vegas. So what happened to Alpine in Vegas? It probably had something to do with golfer Rory McIlroy being a guest of Alpine. I’m sure McIlroy had plenty of words of wisdom regarding mental preparation and performing under pressure, but you absolutely can’t apply his advice on late Saturdays or Sundays.
Charles Leclerc launched into an expletive-laden rant against Ferrari and teammate Carlos Sainz over the radio, replete with a number of “F” bombs. Leclerc was upset, and rightly so, after Sainz passed Leclerc after race engineer Bryan Bozzi explicitly told Leclerc that Sainz would not pass him. The rant will get the attention of F1 officials, who are cracking down on drivers using foul language. If you asked Leclerc to grade Ferrari team chemistry, he would surely give it an “F.” As for the potential for being fined for his language, I can assure you Leclerc doesn’t give an “F.”
The Driver
The “anticli-Max” to Mercedes’ dominance was Verstappen clinching his fourth world title. The Red Bull driver won the championship at Las Vegas; Norris and McLaren lost it at Las Vegas and at about ten other circuits.
And what better place to clinch the world championship than Las Vegas, where you can see your image projected onto The Sphere’s 580,000 square foot LED display. Most of his rivals think Verstappen has a big head; that was verified on “The Sphere.”
The Results (Heineken Las Vegas GP, Las Vegas Street Circuit)
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 50 | 1:22:05.969 | 25 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 50 | +7.313s | 18 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 50 | +11.906s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 50 | +14.283s | 12 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 50 | +16.582s | 10 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 50 | +43.385s | 9 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 50 | +51.365s | 6 |
| 8 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 50 | +59.808s | 4 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 50 | +62.808s | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 50 | +63.114s | 1 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 50 | +69.195s | 0 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 50 | +69.803s | 0 |
| 13 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 50 | +74.085s | 0 |
| 14 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 50 | +75.172s | 0 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 50 | +84.102s | 0 |
| 16 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 50 | +91.005s | 0 |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 49 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 49 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 25 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 15 |
