Round 22 in Las Vegas was arguably one of the most entertaining, action-packed races we have had this year. With battles happening every single lap and a champion crowned, Vegas exceeded all expectations this past weekend.
Before we jump into the current standings for both Championships and analyze the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a few things to mention:
Authors Note 1: The Formula One Season has two main championship competitions. The first is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition between the individual drivers. The drivers who finish in the top 10 each weekend will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship. The next is the Constructors' Championship, a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (E.g., Lando Norris has scored 340 points, and Oscar Piastri has scored 268 points, giving the McLaren team 608 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.
Author's Note 2: 23 drivers will be listed on the Drivers' Championship. Oliver Bearman was a replacement driver for Carlos Sainz for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Kevin Magnussen for the Azerbaijan and São Paulo Grand Prix. Also, Franco Calapinto has replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams, and Liam Lawson has replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls for the remainder of the season.
Here is a look at the current Drivers' and Constructors' standings before the race weekend:
Drivers' Championship Standings:
Max Verstappen 403 points
Lando Norris 340 points
Charles Leclerc 319 points
Oscar Piastri 268 points
Carlos Sainz 259 points
George Russell 217 points
Lewis Hamilton 208 points
Sergio Perez 152 points
Fernando Alonso 62 points
Nico Hulkenberg 35 points
Yuki Tsunoda 30 points
Pierre Gasly 26 points
Lance Stroll 24 points
Esteban Ocon 23 points
Kevin Magnussen 14 points
Alexander Albon 12 points
Daniel Ricciardo 12 points
Oliver Bearman 7 points
Franco Colapinto 5 points
Liam Lawson 2 points
Zhou Guanyu 0 points
Logan Sargeant 0 points
Valtteri Bottas 0 points
Constructor's Championship Standings:
McLaren 608 points
Ferrari 584 points
Red Bull 555 points
Mercedes 425 points
Aston Martin 86 points
Haas 50 points
Alpine 49 points
Racing Bulls 46 points
Williams 17 points
Kick Sauber 0 points
Standings were found at F1.com.
Alpine
In what was an impressive start to the weekend, Alpine's race ended in disaster. Esteban Ocon qualified 11th and finished 17th, while Pierre Gasly started 3rd and did not finish the race due to a mechanical failure in his car's engine.
After qualifying, Alpine looked like the fastest midfield team on the grid. Gasly produced a stellar result, while Ocon was right on track to compete for points. However, Gasly's race went from hopeful to unfortunate very quickly, as his engine failed within the first few laps.
Alpine overall definitely had a disappointing weekend. Considering the car looked rapid in qualifying, the expectation was decent points going into the Grand Prix. Although, with Gasly's DNF and Ocon's pace disappearing entirely, Alpine failed to do their job this weekend.
The disappointing result moved them down into 7th place in the Constructors' Standings, as Haas has overtaken them. Alpine's car does look quick, but they are going to need to figure out how to translate their pace to a full race if they want that extra 10 million dollars for finishing the season 6th in the Constructors'.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin looked extremely mediocre all weekend long in Las Vegas. Lance Stroll qualified 20th (started 19th due to Franco Colapinto's pit lane start) and finished 15th, while Fernando Alonso qualified 17th (started 16th due to Franco Colapinto's pit lane start) and finished 11th.
Aston Martin sort of did this to themselves this weekend. Alonso was fine this weekend, but Stroll's race was ruined. After the race, according to Stroll, he said that his team radio (the communication system drivers use to gain race updates, car updates, strategy updates, driving advice, etc.) was broken for the entire race. That meant he could not communicate with the team, and vice versa, at all, making it nearly impossible to race effectively. Though Stroll did have a terrible qualifying session, the race result was not his fault. The fact he did not retire from the race because of the broken communication was quite impressive.
Even with the unfortunate situation, Aston Martin still looked incredibly slow, even for their standards. However, their place in the Constructors' seems safe. A 36-point lead over the team behind them seems to be more than enough of a lead with only two races to go.
Ferrari
Ferrari had a very solid weekend throughout in Vegas. Carlos Sainz qualified 2nd and finished 3rd, while Charles Leclerc started and finished in 4th.
The biggest thing for Ferrari this weekend was their consistency. They knew Mercedes would be faster this weekend, but they didn't let that affect their race. Both drivers looked solid all weekend long, with the car working nicely in the difficult track conditions.
The only problem for Ferrari was their race strategy. It didn't cost them too much; however, a lot was left on the table. The biggest example was when Sainz was about to pit, but the team at the very last second told him to stay out. Their reasoning was inexcusable. They told Sainz a lap later that they were not ready for him to come into the pits.
How Sainz did not receive a penalty for dangerously leaving the pit lane late is beyond me, but nevertheless, it cost Sainz dearly. Had he pitted that lap, it was predicted that Sainz would have at least finished 2nd in the race. It was a massive blunder on the part of the Ferrari staff; they were lucky it did not cost them more than it did.
The good result cut down McLaren's lead in the Constructors' Championship quite a bit. Gaining 24 points is definitely achievable, but will require a couple of bad results from McLaren.
Haas
Haas' weekend was a quiet one, but also a good one in Vegas. Kevin Magnussen qualified and finished in 12th, while Nico Hulkenberg started in 9th and finished in 8th.
Both drivers got off to good starts in the Grand Prix, gaining multiple positions within the first lap. After that, it was pretty quiet from Haas, as they were able to maintain their positions and produce a good result. The points Hulkenberg secured this weekend were enough to overtake Alpine for 6th in the Constructors' Championship.
With only two races to go, Haas needs to be on the top of their game. Alpine looks much improved, and RB has been quick all season long. The battle for 6th will definitely be a tight one as we head towards the end of the 2024 season.
Kick Sauber
What a race from Sauber! Valtteri Bottas qualified 19th and finished 18th, while Zhou Guanyu started and finished in 13th.
For a team that has been by far one of the worst teams we have ever seen, the consistent pace that Zhou showed in Vegas was quite impressive. It was nice to see Zhou produce his best result of the season in what will be one of his last races in F1 for the foreseeable future.
Though Sauber has absolutely nothing to fight for in the standings, they can still fight for their pride. Zhou and Bottas are confirmed to not have a seat in F1 in 2025, so going out on a high note should be their #1 priority.
McLaren
McLaren's pace surprisingly disappeared this weekend in Vegas. Oscar Piastri qualified 8th and finished 7th, while Lando Norris started and finished in 6th.
McLaren looked like the third fastest car in Vegas (behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and Max Verstappen's Red Bull), which has not been said in a long time. The drivers could not get their tires to maintain the right temperature for long periods of time, which hindered any opportunity to gain ground on the cars ahead.
Piastri and Norris did the best they could with the car they had this weekend. However, with that being said, McLaren's pace should return when they travel to Qatar for the next Grand Prix. The team's result in Vegas also officially ended Norris' hope of winning the Drivers' Championship.
Though it is disappointing, having that competition ended may actually be a good thing for the team. They can now focus on maintaining, and hopefully growing, their lead in the Constructors' Championship.
Mercedes
Boy, did they need this!
Mercedes absolutely dominated the weekend in Vegas. George Russell started and finished the race in 1st, while Lewis Hamilton started 10th and finished 2nd.
It has been a struggle all season long for Mercedes, especially since the end of the summer break. Having thought they finally figured out what was wrong with the car, the expectation of competing at the top after the summer break was not met... until now.
Russell was in control all race long, never giving up his lead. On top of that, Hamilton was absolutely flying through the field, setting the fastest lap times in what seemed to be every other lap. If Hamilton had not botched the third qualifying session, with the pace he had, he would have won the race easily.
Mercedes has much to be proud of after this race. They haven't given up all year long, even when the hope of improving the car seemed nonexistent. Though the final two races may not suit the car, Mercedes will be a team to look out for as we near the end of the season.
Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls had a solid weekend in Vegas, producing decent points overall. Liam Lawson started 15th and finished 16th, while Yuki Tsunoda qualified 7th and finished 9th.
Vegas was a tale of two drivers for RB. For Lawson, this was his worst overall weekend since replacing Daniel Ricciardo this season. He did not have nearly enough pace to compete for points, while also showing no sign of improvement as the race went on. Tsunoda, on the other hand, was fantastic once again. Finishing in the Top-10 in both qualifying and the race in a car that did not look good around the Vegas track was very impressive.
If RB and Red Bull should take anything away from the two drivers' performances, it should be that Tsunoda needs to be taken into consideration for the Red Bull seat a lot more than he has been this year. Yes, Lawson is very talented and will one day be a top driver on the grid based on his trajectory, but he is also young and still a little inexperienced. Tsunoda is much more experienced and has proven all season long that, given the car, he can produce good results. The weekend in Vegas was a perfect example of what the drivers can do when the car is not as good as it should be.
Red Bull
Red Bull are Champions, once again!
Red Bull did not have a great race, but it was good enough to seal the deal. Sergio Perez started 16th and finished 10th, while Max Verstappen started and finished in 5th.
For the 4th season in a row, Max Verstappen is the F1 Drivers' Championship Winner. It was not always easy for Verstappen, but he was able to achieve the goal set this weekend and win the Drivers' Championship. After what was the most dominant championship win ever in 2023, Verstappen and Red Bull went through a season that was nearly opposite. They did not always have the fastest car, but their talent, experience, and teamwork were what helped Verstappen maintain his Championship lead all season long.
With the Drivers' Championship done and dusted, Red Bull can focus on the Constructors' Championship during the final two races of the season. They have put themselves in quite the hole thanks to the decision to keep Perez around, but the team still has a chance to gain some ground.
Williams
Another weekend, another disaster for Williams. Franco Colapinto qualified 14th, but started from the pit lane due to his crash in qualifying, and finished 14th. Alex Albon qualified 18th (started 17th), but did not finish the race due to the car losing power.
Everything that could go wrong for Williams is going wrong. Colapinto's and Albon's mistakes are costing the team millions and millions of dollars. Spending all this extra money repairing the car and manufacturing spare parts is not helping their efforts to expand their budget for their car in the future. Williams has big goals for 2026 and beyond, but they need to get their act together if they want the money to achieve those goals.
Vegas was overall another weekend to forget for Williams. Colapinto's dream run seems to have ended, as his inexperience was unfortunately on full display in Vegas. Though the potential is still very much there for Franco, he may not be as ready as we once thought he was.
Albon, on the other hand, was a victim of bad luck this weekend. The car was slow in qualifying, and the engine failed him during the race. There wasn't much Albon could do this weekend, so fans shouldn't hold him too accountable for his result.
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Catch you next time!
-Matt Hylen
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