F1: Three to go - caravan moves to City of Angels

The Formula 1 season is approaching its end, and this coming weekend we have the first of three consecutive races that will close out this year’s championship. Glamorous Las Vegas, the third race on U.S. soil, will be the first to welcome the drivers of the fastest circus, followed by a trip to Qatar and the final Sprint of the year, with Abu Dhabi hosting the traditional season finale.

Unlike the past few years, we enter the final three races of the championship with three title contenders. Lando Norris leads the fight with 390 points and a 24-point advantage over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen is also in the mix, although his chances of defending the title are slim, as he is 49 points behind Norris. There are 83 points left to be awarded through the Abu Dhabi GP, but if the Red Bull driver loses an additional nine points in Vegas, he will officially drop out of contention. It’s also worth noting that Norris, the current championship leader, cannot secure the title in the United States — his first chance will come next weekend in the Sprint race during the Qatar Grand Prix.

As for who could come out on top at this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, the answer is anything but certain. Long straights and fast corners on the more-than-six-kilometer street circuit have produced exciting races over the past two years, and the temperature — which is quite low during the evening sessions — always plays a role.

Last year, Mercedes made the most of it, claiming a 1–2 finish with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but predicting this year’s outcome is much harder. Given McLaren’s lackluster history in Las Vegas and Verstappen’s prior success here (2023), anything is possible in the famous “Sin City.”

Heading into this crucial weekend, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says they have “taken measures in response to what they saw last year,” suggesting the British team may be more competitive this time.

All that remains is to wait for the weekend to begin — and there’s no doubt we’re in for a real spectacle under the Las Vegas lights.