Russell Wins in Las Vegas as Verstappen Secures His Fourth Consecutive Title

George Russell claimed his third career victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two finish with Sir Lewis Hamilton in second place. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz completed the podium in third. Despite finishing fifth, Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive World Championship, joining an elite group of drivers to achieve this feat.

Reflecting on his performance, Russell described it as a "dream of a weekend," expressing surprise at the car's pace:

"I don't know how we've been so quick; I'm just riding this wave right now."

Hamilton, starting from tenth, delivered a stellar drive to finish second and was deservedly voted Driver of the Day. In response to recent 'shelf life' comments, the seven-time world champion proved he’s far from done. After the race, he remarked:

"If I had done my job yesterday [in qualifying], it would have been a breeze today, but it's okay. I had fun coming from P10, and the team did a fantastic job."

Sainz, despite his podium finish, expressed disappointment, calling it a "damage limitation race." The Spaniard admitted:

"It wasn't our day; we lost too much time on the first pit stop, pitted one lap too late, and did two laps too late on the second. We made a mess, but I don't think it would have made much difference to the final result."

The spotlight ultimately belonged to Verstappen, who reflected on a challenging but rewarding season:

"Of course, we had a great start, but where we started to struggle was a long way to the end, and anything was possible. As a team, we stuck together, had a lot of challenging races, and stayed calm. We had a lot of pressure, but it seems like the team works very well under pressure, and we maximized a lot of results."

The Grand Prix delivered a thrilling spectacle in its second year. Charles Leclerc surged to second on the opening lap, launching an intense pursuit of Russell for the lead. Despite the pressure, he couldn’t make the move stick and was eventually overtaken by his teammate Sainz.

Hamilton carved his way through the pack, reaching eighth by Lap 8 and seventh by Lap 10. After the second set of pit stops, he continued his charge, setting multiple fastest laps and finishing just five seconds behind Russell.

Pierre Gasly, who started third, retired on Lap 16 due to a mechanical issue, marking a frustrating blow for Alpine after their impressive qualifying result.

McLaren’s Lando Norris could only manage sixth, failing to keep the championship fight alive. With his title hopes gone, Norris focused on helping McLaren in their Constructors' battle against Ferrari. A late pit stop allowed him to grab the fastest lap, earning a crucial extra point.

In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren's lead over Ferrari narrowed from 36 to 24 points following the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Ferrari outscored McLaren by 27 to 13 points in Las Vegas. McLaren now leads with 608 points, while Ferrari trails with 584.

Race Results:

[1. George Russell (Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team), 3. Carlos Sainz (Scuderia Ferrari), 4. Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari), 5. Max Verstappen (Oracle Red Bull Racing), 6. Lando Norris (McLaren Formula 1 Team), 7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren Formula 1 Team), 8. Nico Hülkenberg (MoneyGram Haas F1 Team), 9. Yuki Tsunoda (Visa Cash App RB F1 Team), 10. Sergio Pérez (Oracle Red Bull Racing), 11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team), 12. Kevin Magnussen (MoneyGram Haas F1 Team), 13. Zhou Guanyu (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), 14. Franco Colapinto (Williams Racing), 15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team), 16. Liam Lawson (Visa Cash App RB F1 Team), 17. Esteban Ocon (BWT Alpine F1 Team), 18. Valtteri Bottas (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), 19. Alexander Albon (Williams Racing) – Not Classified, 20. Pierre Gasly (BWT Alpine F1 Team) – Not Classified.]

Constructors' Standings:

[1. McLaren Mercedes – 608 points, 2. Ferrari – 584 points, 3. Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT – 555 points, 4. Mercedes – 425 points, 5. Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes – 86 points, 6. Haas Ferrari – 50 points, 7. Alpine Renault – 49 points, 8. Team RB – 46 points, 9. Williams Mercedes – 17 points, 10. Kick Sauber Ferrari – 0 points.]