Formula 1: Victory in Las Vegas – Max Verstappen maintains his slim chance of winning the title

Max Verstappen kept the World Cup interesting for at least a week and remained mathematically in the title race after a cocky early maneuver from leader Lando Norris in front of the glittering backdrop of Las Vegas. Red Bull’s four-time Formula 1 world champion won the Grand Prix ahead of the Briton and reduced the gap by as much as seven points on the site of his 2024 World Championship win.

Norris made a mistake in the first 300 meters of his 150th Grand Prix in the McLaren and had to accelerate hard to finish second ahead of last year’s winner George Russell in the Mercedes. The 26-year-old can claim his first title at the upcoming Grand Prix in Qatar this weekend and dethrone his friend Verstappen. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri, who was second in the World Championship, missed out on the podium again in fourth.

Ahead of the two Grand Prix finals in the next two weeks, Norris leads the standings with 408 points. Piastri is 30 points behind, Verstappen is still 42 points behind – he needs a minor miracle at the World Cup for a fifth title in a row.

Before his birthday race started, Norris promised fans: “We’re going to make it exciting for you.” The only problem: “It was very stressful for us.” And especially for him. To his surprise, he got pole at Nassen and thus created the optimal starting position for his third consecutive Grand Prix win. In Mexico he won from pole position and also in Brazil and thus put himself further into pole position for the title.

“It won’t be easy,” stressed Norris before the red lights in the sparkling city went out: “A lot of things could make my life difficult today.” Most importantly, the driver next to him on the starting grid. Verstappen won his Formula 1 comeback in Las Vegas in 2023, and a year ago the 28-year-old Dutchman was crowned world champion for the fourth time in the Nevada desert.

This time his final World Cup chances are at stake in the gambling city. “It will be difficult,” he predicted before the start: “We have to follow the race and see what happens.” Third in the race for the World Championship, Norris’ teammate Piastri had to start from fifth position. The Australian has long led this year’s classification, but his performance curve has been declining for weeks; His last win so far came at Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands on August 31.

It was clear to everyone that it was going to be tight until the first corner after less than 200 metres, when the last of the VIPs from Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones to Naomi Campbell, Damson Idris, Jimmy Butler, Terry Crews and Cynthia Erivo had left the starting grid and it was on. Norris, who has been so cool and confident recently, showed nervousness.

He initially escaped well, looking to close the way for Verstappen and moving aggressively inside. However, so much so that he rushed around the corner with too much momentum and was carried to the outside. Verstappen passed it easily. Norris was then followed by last year’s winner Russell – also in his 150th Grand Prix. Now things are getting very tense for Norris, who seems to have shaken off his nervousness.

But Verstappen couldn’t even talk about a walk along the legendary track – it was Russell who applied the pressure first. Norris couldn’t – or wouldn’t – follow the two so closely to protect the tires. Piastri is now in seventh position, some time behind the leaders.

After Zandvoort, Verstappen was 104 points behind first place. Then his race to catch up begins; he recently won in Austin. Verstappen continued it in Las Vegas. Russell occasionally complained about steering problems via radio, which of course was also noticed by Red Bull. The biggest question is: When will who change tires for victory? Russell went first. “This is your chance,” Norris received a radio message from McLaren’s command post into his car.

When Norris fitted new hard tires for the remainder of the race, Russell bounced back. Feeling unsure, Norris asked about his next strategy, while Verstappen also got new tires and got ahead of Russell again.

In the middle of the race, Norris stepped on the gas and suddenly overtook Russell. Without resistance, the Mercedes man was forced to let go of the McLaren driver. Next up for Norris: Verstappen. However, the defending champion consistently maintained his lead for more than five seconds and, after Norris got into trouble, increased his advantage significantly.