Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, but all eyes were on Lando Norris, who tightened his grip on the Formula 1 World Championship after finishing second, MySportDab Reports.
The Brit now leads teammate Oscar Piastri by 30 points, with just two races and a sprint remaining in the 2024 season.
Norris ended the race 20.741 seconds behind Verstappen, yet his runner-up finish puts him in prime position to secure his maiden world title in Qatar next weekend.
With a maximum of 58 points still available, Norris sits on 408 points, ahead of Piastri’s 378, while Verstappen remains mathematically alive in the chase with 366.
Verstappen, celebrating the 69th win of his career, delivered a commanding performance under the Las Vegas lights. “The car was working pretty well… it was quite a decent gap,” he said after securing his sixth win of the season and eighth consecutive podium.
The top three were chauffeured to the podium in a LEGO pink Cadillac driven by actor Terry Crews as fireworks lit up the Strip.
Norris lost the lead at the start after running wide, allowing Verstappen and George Russell to slip through. He later reclaimed P2 from Russell on lap 34 but was forced to manage fuel in the closing stages. “I let Max have a win,” Norris joked, though he admitted it was not his sharpest performance.
Piastri’s fourth-place finish became official after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli received a five-second penalty for a jump start. Further down the order, Charles Leclerc finished sixth, with Carlos Sainz seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth. Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton completed the top 10.
The race was not short on drama: debris-triggered Virtual Safety Cars, collisions involving Alex Albon and Hamilton, and a first-lap clash that dropped Piastri down the field.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sauber’s Gabriel Borteleto both retired after a heavy turn-one collision.
With McLaren already crowned Constructors’ Champions for a second straight year, all focus now shifts to Norris—whose first world title could be just days away.
