F1 2024 Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Race start time, schedule, grid and stream as Russell starts on pole – UK Times

“I can’t even hear a thing. I was just chatting to my fiancee, you never see this is track and field.”

1. Max Verstappen – 393 points

2. Lando Norris – 331 points

3. Charles Leclerc – 307 points

4. Oscar Piastri – 262 points

5. Carlos Sainz – 244 points

6. George Russell – 192 points

7. Lewis Hamilton – 190 points

8. Sergio Perez – 151 points

9. Fernando Alonso – 62 points

10. Nico Hulkenberg – 31 points

11. Yuki Tsunoda – 28 points

12. Pierre Gasly – 26 points

13. Lance Stroll – 24 points

14. Esteban Ocon – 23 points

15. Kevin Magnussen – 14 points

16. Alex Albon – 12 points

17. Daniel Ricciardo – 12 points

18. Ollie Bearman – 7 points

19. Franco Colapinto – 5 points

20. Liam Lawson – 4 points

21. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points

22. Logan Sargeant – 0 points

23. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points

“Conditions were great, nice and cool. It’s been really nice all weekend.

“I’m quite far back, see what I can do. Degradation is key.”

Hamilton will start only 10th in Sin City on Saturday night after he made mistakes on each of his flying laps. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz qualified second, with Pierre Gasly a surprise third for Alpine.

British driver Lando Norris must outscore Max Verstappen by three points to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar, but the McLaren driver will start one place behind the Dutchman in sixth.

“It’s unbelievable, we didn’t think we could do that. An incredible lap, especially around this track. A lot of adrenaline and excitement. Really happy.

“I was getting cold in the car, I just wanted to get going. That last lap was the one that mattered. It felt great, great period for the team after the double podium in Brazil.”

There are now just 86 points available across the next three races in Vegas, Qatar (including the final sprint race of the season) and Abu Dhabi.

By the end of the weekend in Vegas, there will be just 60 points left to claim.

That means that if Verstappen simply finishes above Norris in Vegas, he will be crowned the 2024 champion. The Dutchman would also seal the title if both drivers fail to score a point.

Verstappen will also win the 2024 title if Norris does not outscore the Red Bull driver by more than two points.

As a result, Verstappen will be world champion in Sin City if:

• If Norris is second and he finishes third with the fastest lap
• If Norris is third and he finishes fourth with the fastest lap
• If Norris is fourth without the fastest lap and he finishes fifth
• If Norris is fifth without the fastest lap and he finishes sixth
• If Norris is sixth without the fastest lap and he finishes seventh
• If Norris is seventh without the fastest lap and he finishes eighth
• If Norris is eighth without the fastest lap and he finishes ninth
• If Norris is ninth without the fastest lap or lower irrespective of where he finishes

Max Verstappen – who could win the title tonight – is the first car out for the reconnaissance laps in temperatures slightly warmer of around 19C in Sin City.

A reminder: Verstappen starts fifth, with Lando Norris in sixth. If the Dutchman finishes ahead of Norris, he will be crowned the champion.

Williams statement: “Following Franco’s incident in Qualifying yesterday, he has undergone a thorough follow-up evaluation from the event medical team today and has been cleared to race in this evening’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“Franco’s health is our main priority, and we are relieved that he is well enough to race following such a significant incident. We thank the medical staff for prioritising Franco’s health and wellbeing and for the excellent care he received.

“We are extremely thankful to our incredible garage team for their hard work overnight to repair Franco’s car and our fans and partners for their continued support. We have taken the opportunity to make some set-up changes during the repair and, as a result, Franco will start the race from the pitlane.

“We are looking forward to going racing under the lights tonight.”

Pit lane. Franco Colapinto**

*Bottas has a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine

**Colapinto will start from the pit lane after his crash in qualifying