What Are the F1 Championship Permutations Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
The Current Situation in the F1 Championship Standings
Max Verstappen’s remarkable victory in Sao Paulo at the Brazilian Grand Prix propelled him to the brink of clinching his fourth consecutive Formula 1 championship, and his dominant performance, coming from the back of the grid to win at Interlagos, has widened his lead in the driver standings to 62 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris.
That victory marked the defending champion’s first Grand Prix win since June, reversing Red Bulls’s recent struggles and stopping Norris’s steady climb in the standings dead in its tracks. The Brit, who had closed the gap with consistent performances and a win in the Sprint on Saturday, faltered on race day, finishing sixth despite starting on pole.
With just three race weekends remaining in the 20204 F1 season, a maximum of 86 points are up for grabs. This total comprises 26 points available at each of the three GPs (Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi) and an additional eight points from the final Sprint race in Qatar.
Check out our Las Vegas Grand Prix prediction ahead of the big race!
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Verstappen Can Wrap Up 2024 F1 Championship in Las Vegas
For Max Verstappen and Red Bull, the situation heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix is simple: Verstappen will win his fourth F1 world championship title in Las Vegas if he finishes ahead of Lando Norris in any position. Additionally, if both drivers fail to end the race in the points, Verstappen will end the weekend as the champ. Should the Red Bull ace finish behind the McLaren driver, he can still claim the title as long as he is not outscored by Norris by more than two points.
After the dramatic events in Sao Paulo, the F1 championship is now officially a two-horse race between Verstappen and Norris. Charles Leclerc, who is 86 points behind Verstappen - the maximum remaining this season - cannot surpass the Dutchman due to the defending champions' superior number of race wins (eight to Leclerc’s three), which guarantees Verstappen the tiebreaker in any scenario. While the Ferrari driver is out of contention for the title, he is still in the running for second place, currently 24 points behind Norris.
Verstappen is currently priced at 6.0 to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Bet365.
Bet on Verstappen to win the Las Vegas GPWhat Does Norris Need to Prolong the Title Race?
For Lando Norris to stay in contention for the F1 title, he must outscore Verstappen by at least three points at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, ensuring a deficit of 59 points or fewer. This 59-point threshold is a significant one because, while 60 points will still be on the table in the final two rounds, Verstappen’s victory count guarantees him the title in any tiebreaker if the two finish the season level on points after Abu Dhabi.
This situation highlights the stakes heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where the McLaren man has to deliver a standout performance to delay the Red Bull star’s likely coronation as a four-time world champion. Norris will remain in contention for the title in the following scenarios:
- Norris wins the race (25 points)
- Norris finishes second (18 points) and Verstappen finishes third but does not take the fastest lap.
- Norris finishes third (15 points) and Verstappen finishes fourth but does not take the fastest lap.
- Norris finishes fourth with the fastest lap (13 points) and Verstappen finishes fifth.
- Norris finishes fifth with the fastest lap (11 points) and Verstappen finishes sixth.
- Norris finishes sixth with the fastest lap (9 points) and Verstappen finishes seventh.
- Norris finishes seventh with the fastest lap (7 points) and Verstappen finishes eighth.
- Norris finishes eighth with the fastest lap (5 points) and Verstappen finishes ninth.
- Norris finishes ninth with the fastest lap (3 points) and Verstappen finishes 11th or lower.
Lando Norris is currently showing up at 9.0 to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Unibet.
