With three races remaining in the 2024 season, the title fight has come to a close.

Max Verstappen’s stunning drive in the rain in Brazil allowed him to close that gap and come out fighting.

Verstappen could win a fourth title this weekend in Las Vegas if he finishes ahead of Lando Norris. The Dutchman’s lead must be 60 points or more when leaving Nevada.

Norris, on the other hand, must beat Verstappen by three points to keep the championship alive for Qatar. McLaren leads the constructors’ championship.

The weather caused chaos at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with qualifying postponed until race day, but this weekend promises to be dry and settled with high (day) temperatures between 18-22 degrees Celsius and lows between 6-11 degrees at night during the track action.

This is what the championships look like

Verstappen leads Norris in the Drivers’ Championship by 62 points, with eight wins to Norris’s three. Charles Leclerc is a further 24 points behind in third place with three wins.

McLaren leads Ferrari by 36 points in the Constructors’ Championship, with five wins each. Red Bull is a further 13 points behind Ferrari, with eight wins throughout the season.

Stand | Calendar | Teams

Latest news

Norris said he was probably not ready to challenge Verstappen for the title this season.

Lewis Hamilton said he felt like walking away from Mercedes after a tough race in Brazil.

George Russell says F1 drivers are “a bit fed up” with the FIA’s leadership, following their open letter asking to be treated like adults.

Fred Vasseur has emphasized risk-taking at Ferrari, where the team has won two of the last three races.

The organizers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have ruled out switching to a sprint format on the day after the other American rounds of Formula 1 in Austin and Miami.

The Canadian Grand Prix will be moved to May from 2026 to help the championship consolidate the European leg into a single period.

How F1 teams feed 1,000 people in the paddock every race weekend.

Track stats and history

Las Vegas held its first Formula 1 Grand Prix for two years in 1981 before withdrawing. It was known as the Caesars Palace Grand Prix and looped around the huge parking lot of the casino hotel.

The race was not a success and the idea was shelved until recent years when F1’s new owners, Liberty Media, took up the idea of ​​building on F1’s fame in the US.

The race returned to the F1 calendar in 2023 at a cost of around $500 million. The street circuit includes the city’s famous Strip, but the 2023 race weekend was marred by a loose drain cover eight minutes into the first practice session, causing damage to Carlos Sainz’s car.

Laps: 50 laps of 6.2 km. Total distance 309km

Lap record: 1:35,490, Oscar Piastri (2023)

Most wins: Of the three races held in Las Vegas over the years, all were won by different drivers: Alan Jones (1981), Michele Alboreto (1982) and Verstappen (2023).

Most poles: The same applies to pole positions: Carlos Reutemann (1981), Alain Prost (1982) and Charles Leclerc in 2023.

What happened last year?

Verstappen won his 18th race of the season. Leclerc started on pole while Verstappen overtook the Ferrari in the opening stages.

Verstappen was given a five-second time penalty for forcing his rival off the track, allowing Leclerc to regain the lead going into the pit stops. But the Dutchman would overtake again with thirteen laps remaining to continue his dominance throughout the season. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished third.

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Brown: Ferrari the team to beat in Las Vegas

McLaren’s Zak Brown looks ahead to the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the battle with Max Verstappen for the championship.

Who’s going to win?

Last year Ferrari was dominant in Vegas, with Leclerc taking pole position. The team has achieved great results over the past twelve months and has had decent form with two wins and two podiums in the past three races, taking their total number of wins to five, equal to McLaren’s.

While rivals Red Bull and McLaren are locked in a tight battle for the Drivers’ Championship, Ferrari has emerged as the team to beat.

How to watch the GP

Watch on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (US only) – see the schedule.

Live broadcasts in the UK are on Sky Sports F1 and BBC Radio 5 Live.

For news, analysis and updates, follow the coverage with ESPN’s F1 team Nate Saunders and Laurence Edmondson in Las Vegas and on social media.

Friday
Free practice one: 02:30-03:30 GMT
Free practice two: 06:00-07:00 GMT

Saturday
Free practice three: 02:30-03:30 GMT
Qualifying: 06:00-07:00 GMT

Sunday
Race starts: 06:00 GMT.