Las Vegas Grand Prix Prediction: McLaren ace can keep title race alive
Following on from what was a hectic Sao Paulo Grand Prix in soaking wet conditions, it’s off to the bone-dry Mojave Desert this weekend for the highly-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took a significant leap towards the Drivers’ Championship title with his win in Brazil last time out, while his title rival Lando Norris could only manage sixth after some costly mistakes.
The Dutchman will have fond memories of Vegas from last season, as he impressed on the street circuit to claim the victory in the first-ever running of the race, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished in second and third place respectively.
Verstappen will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he can leave Vegas with a lead of 60 points or more but, on this track, Norris has provided previous evidence this season he can be the one to claim the chequered flag this weekend and keep the title race going at least a little longer.
Las Vegas Betting Tips
- Lando Norris to win @ 9/4
- Pierre Gasly top-10 finish @ 2/1
Tip 1 - Lando Norris podium finish @ 9/4
While Verstappen produced one of the great wet-race performances in Brazil, rain certainly won’t be an issue in Nevada this weekend.
Verstappen, who has not had the same dominance he enjoyed in previous years, was on a 10-race winless run before that performance in Sao Paulo, in a spell which saw Norris make up significant ground in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
With no rain on Sunday, McLaren’s raw pace on this circuit on the Vegas Strip should be too much for Verstappen to make it back-to-back wins and Norris has the ability and the car to triumph this weekend.
The Englishman, who has come on leaps and bounds in 2024, earned an impressive win on the street circuit in Singapore for a night race earlier this season, while Verstappen had to settle for second spot on the podium at Marina Bay.
Back on another street circuit this weekend, Norris is now well-priced to land another win on US soil this season after his success at the Miami Grand Prix back in May.
Tip 2 - Pierre Gasly top-10 finish @ 2/1
There wouldn’t have been many expecting Pierre Gasly to be standing on the podium in Sao Paulo but the Frenchman impressed, alongside his second-placed countryman and team-mate Esteban Ocon in the wet conditions, to finish in third place.
That result in Brazil was the seventh points finish of the season for the 28-year-old Alpine driver, who deserves credit for how he has raced throughout this 2024 F1 campaign.
Gasly was unfortunate to miss out on the points on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit last year, as he had to settle for 11th place.
On the back of what was an impressive performance in Sao Paulo and with improvement shown over the last 12 months, there’s little reason why Gasly can’t land what would be his eighth top-10 finish of the campaign on Sunday.