Max Verstappen can clinch his fourth consecutive Formula One World Championship this weekend with a win over Lando Norris in Las Vegas.
McLaren’s Norris must outscore Verstappen by three points – requiring at least a top-eight finish even if Verstappen scores nothing – to extend the title race to Qatar.
Verstappen holds a 62-point lead with only 60 points remaining after Las Vegas. The Dutch driver can lose two points to Norris and still seal the title based on his superior win count, with eight victories to Norris’ three.
The reigning champion dominated on the Las Vegas Strip last season, overcoming a five-second penalty and a collision to complete a U.S. triple, while Norris crashed out on lap three.
“This is the final push for everyone,” Verstappen said ahead of the season’s final three races, which are scheduled across successive weekends. “We performed well here last year. It’s a really fast circuit with long straights and plenty of overtaking opportunities.”
Norris, sixth in Brazil on Nov. 3 despite starting on pole in a race Verstappen won from 17th on the grid, is also focused on McLaren’s constructors’ championship bid.
McLaren holds a 36-point lead over Ferrari as they chase their first constructors’ title since 1998.
Ferrari, looking for their first since 2008, remains in contention, while Red Bull sits 49 points behind McLaren with three races left.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix also provides a crucial opportunity for Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, to regain form.
Perez, third in last year’s race, said, “It’s a track I enjoy. The street circuit experience, with the walls in tight, is thrilling. I know I need to perform and maximize the car and my own performance.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who secured pole position in Las Vegas last year before finishing second, is vying with Norris for second place in the drivers’ standings. Norris currently holds a 24-point advantage.
Mid-table battles are equally intense, with Alpine leaping from ninth to sixth after a double podium in Brazil but sitting only three points ahead of Haas and five ahead of RB.
Formula One also welcomes a new race director, Portugal’s Rui Marques, who steps in following the unexpected departure of German Niels Wittich. Marques takes the helm at a critical juncture in the championship.
Last year’s Las Vegas race, the city’s largest-ever sporting event, generated nearly $1.5 billion in economic impact, according to organizers.
This year, more than 10,000 general admission tickets have been added, along with a Ferrari support race and enhanced community engagement initiatives.