F1 Las Vegas GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates of the 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Formula 1 returns for its final leg of the season under the bright lights of Sin City for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
George Russell starts from pole position for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Max Verstappen can clinch his fourth consecutive F1 world title if Lando Norris fails to outscore him by more than two points in Las Vegas. The Red Bull driver starts fifth and directly ahead of his championship rival in sixth.
The Las Vegas GP starts at 6am GMT.
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The top three get busy with the fizzy and that marks the end of the Las Vegas GP! Thank you for joining us for one heck of a race weekend. Never fear, we're back in just a few days for the Qatar GP on 29 November-1 December. Until then go well!
World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing race engineer
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The British and German national anthems ring out to mark Russell's and Mercedes' triumph. It looks like that one meant a lot to Russell. He lifts the winners' trophy aloft and jumps into the air.
The top three are back in front of the paddock for the podium ceremony. They are back on the big boxes from last year's opening ceremony in front of a packed grid of fans.
Verstappen on his 2024 F1 world title win: "It has been a long season, we started off amazing, like cruising, but then we had a tough run but as a team we kept it together and we kept working on improvements and we pulled it over the line. I am incredibly proud of everyone. To stand here as a four-time world champion was something I never thought was possible, so at the moment just feeling relieved and also very proud."
Here's the developing race report on the Las Vegas GP.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Hamilton next up on his charge from 10th to second: "First of all I've got to say a big congratulations to Max winning the championship still with races to go.
"If I had done my job yesterday it would've been a breeze today but I had fun coming from the back in 10th. The team did a fantastic job this weekend."
Terry Crews has joined Jenson Button to do the podium interviews. First up is race winner Russell and he is asked what is his plans for tonight: "You tell me, I'll go where you are going, it is going to be a big party. I was planning on flying in a couple of hours but I am definitely not getting on that flight and I am going to enjoy my night with all my team. It has been a dream of a weekend, I don't know how we've been so quick."
While the podium ceremony preparations are completed, here's Ben Hunt's assessment on why Verstappen's 2024 title is his greatest yet.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, celebrates on the podium
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Russell, Hamilton and Sainz chat over the race in the first Rolls-Royce, while Verstappen and Lambiase admire the interior of the luxury car. There is a third one following them but so far we don't know who is in that. Best guess is the Mercedes representative for the constructors' trophy.
Given the unique Las Vegas podium the top three and world champion Verstappen are put into Rolls Royces and sent to the rostrum away from the paddock. The top three get in one, Verstappen gets one with race engineer Lambiase. At least Verstappen has company.
So we have two delighted drivers in parc ferme in race winner Russell and in world champion Verstappen. That's nice. They share an embrace, along with Hamilton, on the grid before the rest of the drivers join them in saying congratulations.
Norris takes sixth and does pick the fastest lap bonus point. Piastri takes seventh ahead of Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and Perez who rounds out the points places.
"Oh my god! What a season! Four times! Thank you guys, thank you!" Verstappen says over team radio.
...and Verstappen comes home in fifth which means he seals the 2024 F1 world title! The Red Bull driver is world champion for a fourth consecutive year!
Russell wins the Las Vegas Grand Prix! Hamilton is second with Sainz third and Leclerc fourth...
Final lap time! Russell leads by 7s with Hamilton's tyres crying enough now.
McLaren calls in Norris for soft tyres to go for the fastest lap. He comes back out in sixth so no positions lost, but that is the final concession in the drivers' title race. Red Bull can get the Verstappen champion T-shirts out.
Hamilton goes off track at Turn 8 and that costs him around 1s, so the gap is now 6.1s to Russell in front. Three laps to go.
On lap 47 and Leclerc gets by Verstappen into Turn 14 to take fourth place. That's a couple of extra points that could be huge for Ferrari in the constructors' title fight.
And Perez now does dispose of Alonso to move into the top 10.
Hulkenberg snatches eighth back from Tsunoda as Perez begins his assault on Alonso. Nothing doing yet.
Into the final five laps and Verstappen has still kept Leclerc behind him but he has now lost DRS from Sainz ahead.
Norris, in sixth, is matching the pace of the front three but is over 25s back on the leader so not in a place to fight and try to keep his title challenge going. Sixth and seventh look like McLaren's optimum today.
That gap Perez had to the points is down to 1.2s, with Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Alonso in a DRS train.
This race win isn't settled yet either, with Russell's lead down to 5.4s, and going on Hamilton's pace he will catch his team-mate right at the end of the race.
Leclerc cannot replicate Sainz's move on Verstappen a lap later but that is because he was sliding around while the Red Bull driver had DRS from Sainz in front.
On lap 42 Sainz uses DRS to get alongside Verstappen and under braking into Turn 14 gets the move done for third place.
Into the final 10 laps and Russell's lead is down to 6.9s with Hamilton not giving the chase up. Verstappen has Sainz behind with DRS.
More moves into T14 as Tsunoda gets back past Hulkenberg for eighth and Perez passes Ocon for 11th.
Five seconds separates Perez from a point.
"Do you want me to try and keep them behind or what?" Verstappen asks over team radio. "I think you should, yeah," is the reply. Well, that answers that question.
Both Ferrari drivers punch in new fastest laps and are reeling in Verstappen. What does the Red Bull driver do? Fight them or let them both go by and know that still finishing fifth ahead of Norris is enough for the title.
Sergio Perez take a bow!
Lawson and Magnussen get busy fighting each other at the end of the Strip so the Mexican rolls off the brakes, dives to the inside and makes it three-wide, picking up two spots.
That's more like it, even if it is for 12th.
Hulkenberg then takes Ocon and Alonso gets by Lawson down the long back straight.
Tsunoda is doing a fine job in the RB, moving back past Ocon on his way back from a pitstop.
Hulkenberg does the same on the other RB of Lawson to get 10th back.
With 15 laps to go and Mercedes looks nailed on for a 1-2 given Verstappen, in third, knows his fight is not with them. The Red Bull driver is 2.7s clear of Sainz in the tussle for the final podium place. But in terms of the title battle, with Norris in sixth, it is nearly a done deal.
Russell pits from the lead at the end of lap 32 and retains top spot with ease given everyone behind him had already stopped. The British driver leads team-mate Hamilton by 11.2s.
Leclerc pits for his second set of hards and comes out just ahead of Sainz but drops behind the Spaniard on the back straight.
Hamilton does give Norris some hope though, as he passes Verstappen into Turn 14. Verstappen didn't fight that one knowing his fight is not with the Mercedes driver today.
Norris, who had briefly moved up to third, pits for his second set of hards and comes out in seventh. His faint title hopes look all-but over now with Verstappen looking strong for a podium finish.
By: Autosport Staff
