Max Verstappen wins fourth world title as George Russell triumphs in Las Vegas Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth respectively to move level with McLaren in the constructors’ championship with two races remaining. The gap narrowed to 24 points. Norris stopped for fresh tires and set the fastest lap in the closing stages, earning McLaren an extra point.
Verstappen started one place ahead of Norris in fifth place, ahead of his rival in a relatively quiet race that saw Russell take control from the start.
Verstappen’s cautious performance was aimed at taking the title at the first opportunity, and he did so with the same coolness and composure he had driven for much of the year.
Russell took control of the race from the front, fending off an early challenge from Leclerc who jumped from fourth on the grid to second, overtaking Alpine’s Pierre Gasly before finishing two points ahead Passed Sainz on the first corner.
Ferrari then ran into tire problems ahead of Mercedes and Verstappen when Leclerc later tussled with a recovering Sainz, with Russell extending his lead to take control of the race.
Hamilton ran as low as 10th in the early laps, but did a great job in the first period, going fast while also keeping his tires in shape.
He moved to the back of the lead group by delaying his first pit stop and passed Norris shortly afterwards. The seven-time champion then moved on to challenge the Ferrari, with Verstappen now ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, overtaking the red car in a later pit stop.
But Hamilton’s Mercedes lacked the straight-line speed to overtake the red car.
Instead, Mercedes made its second pit stop on lap 27, one lap ahead of Sainz and four laps ahead of Leclerc, and used his speed to claim second place.
Russell followed Leclerc on lap 32, and in the laps following his pit stop, Hamilton significantly reduced his teammate’s lead, reducing it from 11.2 seconds to 7.4 seconds in seven laps.
But it soon became apparent that Russell was in control of the game, leading Hamilton to an unexpected two-on-one lead.
Behind them, Ferrari caught up with Verstappen after his final pit stop and overtook him in the final 10 laps.
Behind Norris was teammate Oscar Piastri in seventh, with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, RB Racing’s Yjuki Tsunoda and Red Bull Racing The team’s Sergio Pérez rounded out the top ten.
