In the splendor of the streets of the gaming city, which launch the final marathon of three Grands Prix in three weeks, with Qatar then the final meeting of the year at the beginning of December in Abu Dhabi, “Super Max” can be offer its fourth consecutive title in the premier category of motorsport.
To get there, he simply needs to get ahead of Briton Lando Norris at the finish of the Grand Prix. If he finished behind his competitor, Verstappen should not give up more than two points to the McLaren driver, while 60 points will remain to be distributed at the end of this 22e round (out of 24) of the season.
Asked about his chances of winning the title this weekend, the 27-year-old Red Bull driver preferred to tone it down: “ It's not because we won in the rain in Brazil (scene of the last GP which he won after more than four months without victory, editor's note) that everything suddenly worked out ».
Norris bets on Ferrari
If there is almost no doubt that Verstappen will retain his crown this year, on the other hand, among the constructors, everything remains to be played for since the three leading teams are separated by only 49 points.
McLaren (593 points), which became the leading force on the field in mid-September, is 36 points ahead of Ferrari, second with 557 points – while Red Bull (544 pts) completes the provisional top 3. Behind, fourth place seems acquired by Mercedes (382 pts), fifth by Aston Martin (86 pts).
The final ranking of the season determines the share of F1 revenues paid to the teams
Alpine, propelled to 6e place (out of 10) in the championship with 49 points thanks to a strategic winning move during the Brazilian GP, will try to maintain its rank, even if it is only three points ahead of Haas (46 pts) and five on Racing Bulls (44 pts).
For the return of the Las Vegas GP last year more than forty years after the first two races, Verstappen was not very enthusiastic about an event geared towards showbiz at the end of which he had won.
The Grand Prix will take place not on Sunday as usual but on Saturday and at night, with a start at 10 p.m. (7 a.m. in Paris) in the heart of the famous Strip where particularly cool temperatures are expected.
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