Max Verstappen’s greatness will likely be on show on the Las Vegas Grand Prix Specific Occasions

Earlier than we dive into the foremost on-track storylines for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, we have to begin with the largest storyline of your complete race.

The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix itself.

The race marks the newest transfer by Method 1 into the rising United States market. With the addition of the race, the US now sees three races, most for any nation. Solely Italy was slated to have two races this yr, the Italian Grand Prix and the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was canceled earlier this yr on account of flooding within the area.

Final yr F1 added the Miami Grand Prix to the calendar, and the second version of that race was held this previous Could. However Las Vegas provides one thing totally different. It provides the potential of a US model of the Monaco Grand Prix, with the glitz, glamour, and celeb that Las Vegas can present.

It additionally provides the potential for among the most beautiful visuals of the F1 season. In spite of everything, that is going to be an evening race alongside the Las Vegas strip, with F1 vehicles rocketing previous a few of Sin Metropolis’s most iconic photos: The Fountains on the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, and the all-new Sphere:

If the Las Vegas Grand Prix delivers on all that it guarantees, it could turn out to be a vacation spot occasion every F1 season.

Having that in the US will give a large increase to the game’s ongoing efforts to interrupt by means of in America.

The battle between Mercedes and Ferrari

With each Purple Bull and Max Verstappen having clinched the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, respectively, Las Vegas won’t witness a workforce or a driver clinch a title.

However it could play an enormous position in deciding a number of totally different battles on the grid, together with the vital battle between Mercedes and Ferrari for second within the Constructors’ Championship.

Following the São Paulo Grand Prix, simply 20 factors separate the 2 groups, with Mercedes presently holding the benefit. Ferrari inched nearer to the Silver Arrows final Sunday, after Carlos Sainz Jr. completed in sixth place, forward of each Lewis Hamilton — who completed in eight place — and George Russell, who retired with a mechanical failure.

So on a day the place Ferrari solely had one driver on the observe, because of Charles Leclerc experiencing a failure on the formation lap, they nonetheless moved two factors nearer to Mercedes.

From Ferrari’s perspective, they could really feel Las Vegas is a circuit that can favor them, given how the observe in Sin Metropolis is predicted to be very quick, and filled with some lengthy straights, together with the longest on the F1 schedule. That ought to play to the SF-23, because the W14 has struggled with straight-line velocity in current weeks.

For Mercedes followers, in case you are in search of consolation you would possibly discover it on this truth: The race between these two rivals has been largely static since Singapore in September. Following the Singapore Grand Prix — which noticed Sainz safe the primary non-Purple Bull victory of the season whereas Russell crashed within the closing phases, ending his podium hopes — Mercedes had a 24-point lead.

Even with the ups and downs of the previous few weeks, that lead continues to be 20 factors, as depicted right here because of Formula1Points:

Can Ferrari catch Mercedes in Sin Metropolis, or will they merely run out of time?

The battle between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez

The battle between Mercedes and Ferrari just isn’t the one second-place battle on the docket for Las Vegas.

Over on the Drivers’ aspect of issues, Purple Bull’s Sergio Pérez has a 32-point lead over Hamilton, because of his fourth-place end final Sunday within the São Paulo Grand Prix. That consequence, coupled with Hamilton’s fourth-place end, noticed Pérez pull 12 factors additional away from the Mercedes driver on this battle.

It’s mathematically potential for Pérez to clinch second in Las Vegas. Underneath F1’s scoring system, probably the most a driver can rating in a given race is 26 factors: 25 for successful the race, and an additional bonus level for ending with the quickest lap. Which means that if Pérez leaves Las Vegas with not less than a 27-point lead, will probably be unimaginable for Hamilton to catch him within the remaining race at Abu Dhabi.

Let’s go to a hypothetical world the place Hamilton locations second within the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with out posting the quickest lap. That consequence would safe him 18 factors, closing to inside 14 factors of Pérez.

But when Pérez have been to complete proper behind Hamilton in third place, he would decide up 15 factors for his effort, growing that hole to an insurmountable 29 factors.

You possibly can work by means of numerous permutations, on condition that below F1 scoring the race winner secures 25 factors, the second-place finisher 18 factors, with 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 factors for positions P3 by means of P10, respectively.

Why does this battle matter? Properly, past bragging rights how a lot it issues might rely on who you discuss to. Pérez’s future with Purple Bull has been a relentless level of dialogue this season, as the driving force stays below contract by means of the 2024 season however as is usually the case with the workforce, the second seat is a lightning rod of dialogue. At numerous factors this yr his future appeared tied to holding on for second forward of Hamilton.

Purple Bull has constantly brushed these notions apart, however one would imagine his future could be much less doubtful if he certainly finishes second to Verstappen, an accomplishment Purple Bull has by no means completed earlier than.

The battle for seventh

The respective second-place battles will seemingly seize the majority of consideration forward of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, however maybe probably the most fascinating battle is going down behind the sector.

That’s the place a four-way battle between Williams, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, and Haas is shaping up.

Popping out of the summer time shutdown this a three-team battle, as Williams, Alfa Romeo, and Haas started the second half of the season clustered collectively. Haas and Williams have been tied with 11 factors every, and Alfa Romeo was simply behind them with 9 factors on the yr.

That’s when Williams pulled forward, because of Alexander Albon. An eighth-place end on the Dutch Grand Prix banked 4 vital factors for the workforce, and he adopted that up with a robust seventh-place end at Monza within the Italian Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo pulled in behind them, leapfrogging Haas because of a double-points consequence on the Qatar Grand prix, the place Valtteri Bottas completed in eighth place whereas teammate Zhou Guanyu completed proper behind him in ninth.

However in current weeks, AlphaTauri has emerged from the underside of the desk to tug themselves forward of each Haas and Alfa Romeo, getting themselves again on this battle. The tripleheader was very variety to them, beginning with the US Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda added 5 factors in Austin, because of an eighth-place end (plus the bonus level for the quickest lap) and teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s seventh-place end in Mexico Metropolis banked six extra factors for the workforce.

Then final weekend in São Paulo, Tsunoda added 5 extra factors, three within the F1 Dash race and two extra within the Grand Prix. Now Williams sits on 28 factors, adopted by AlphaTauri with 21, Alfa Romeo with 16, and Haas with 12.

Right here is how this battle has performed out over the course of the season, because of Formula1Points:

If one have been to make a prediction, it might appear that Las Vegas would are inclined to favor Williams. The FW45 has been sturdy at high-speed tracks comparable to Monza, and on condition that the circuit in Sin Metropolis is predicted to be on par with Monza — with a lot of straights — they could be on the entrance foot subsequent week.

Logan Sargeant’s final stand?

Talking of Williams.

Is that this rookie driver Logan Sargeant’s final stand?

Sargeant is the one driver but to lock down a spot for subsequent season, as Williams has not dedicated to his seat alongside Albon for the 2024 marketing campaign. Sargeant lastly broke by means of together with his first F1 level in Austin, when the double disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc noticed him promoted to P10 after ending in twelfth.

That made him the primary American driver to attain some extent in F1 since Michael Andretti within the 1993 Italian Grand Prix.

Sargeant can be coming off a robust efficiency in São Paulo, as he completed in eleventh place, simply exterior of the factors.

Williams Group Principal James Vowles has given Sargeant a vote of confidence in current weeks, and made it clear that the workforce has a plan for the younger driver. Vowles has additionally careworn persistence on this, his first season in cost at Williams.

However on condition that the observe in Las Vegas might pair very properly with the FW45, this can be Sargeant’s final, greatest probability to lock down a seat for subsequent season, in his third residence race of the yr.

The greatness of Max Verstappen

We’re witnessing absolute brilliance from Max Verstappen this season.

In truth, together with his victory final Sunday within the São Paulo Grand Prix Verstappen clinched probably the most dominant season in F1 historical past. Even when he doesn’t win in Las Vegas, and within the season finale at Abu Dhabi, Verstappen could have received 17 of twenty-two grands prix, or 77% of races.

That may break the mark set again in 1952 by Italian driver Alberto Ascari, who received six of eight races that season, for a successful proportion of 75%.

In fact, earlier this season Verstappen received ten-straight races, breaking a mark set by Sebastian Vettel throughout his dominant 2013 marketing campaign. Verstappen received the Drivers’ Championship going away, clinching his third-straight title within the F1 Dash race forward of the Qatar Grand Prix, and his 524 factors on the yr have him forward of Mercedes and Ferrari.

That’s proper. As many identified final Sunday, Verstappen in essence clinched a Constructors’ title of his personal:

Certain, Verstappen may ease off the throttle a bit down the stretch.

However that is Max Verstappen we’re speaking about. One thing tells me he needs nothing greater than to show in one other dominant efficiency within the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.