The Battle Across the World
How Max Verstappen fought Lando Norris to win his 4th Drivers Championship title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2024.
Lando Norris challenged the then 3-time World Champion, Max Verstappen, in the Drivers' Championship this season, leading to a battle for the history books. With Max finishing one place ahead of his rival in Las Vegas, he claimed his 4th title by 1 point.
Max started the season strong with two wins under his belt from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. His dominance seemed to carry over from last season until the Miami Grand Prix, where McLaren introduced their first major car upgrades. These upgrades helped Lando Norris secure his maiden win in Formula 1.
Red Bull’s struggle to compete with the upgrades from McLaren and Ferrari caused Max to miss out on 10 race wins in the middle of the season. This allowed McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes to close the points gap on the Red Bulls.
With the points gap between Lando and Max closing, a championship battle was emerging for McLaren. While Red Bull continued to struggle with their car, Lando went on to secure two more race wins. Sky Sports commented on his third win, saying, "Lando Norris dominated the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position; the Briton finished 20 seconds clear of world championship leader Max Verstappen, reducing the title battle deficit to 52 points."
As Lando closed in on the points, the calculations regarding his championship chances also intensified.
Formula 1 explained further, saying, "Outside of outright victory, Verstappen will automatically take the title if Norris doesn't outscore him by at least three points in Las Vegas – while even if Verstappen fails to score, Norris would still need to finish at least 8th or 9th with a fastest lap point." And there it was. The battle was on.
Red Bull Car on Display in Las Vegas Photo: Kristen Kelly
T Mobile Zone Photo: Kristen Kelly
With Max winning the Brazilian Grand Prix the week before, it was time for McLaren to give it everything they had for a potential championship race. Lando described the Brazil loss as "almost a defining moment for the championship… It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut."
Going in to the race week, we asked fans their thoughts on the Championship battle. Sarah was "stressed out of my mind. I didnt know which way it would go" while Donovan was "confident Max had it in the bag".
The race weekend started off strong for Lando, finishing 2 places ahead of Max in Free Practice 1, 14 places ahead in Practice 2, and just 1 place ahead in Practice 3.
After qualifying, Max placed 5th and Lando 6th, giving Max a better starting position for the race on Saturday night.
When asked about his hopes for the race, Lando stated, "I'll do everything I can, of course. That's what I'm here to do. I'm not going to give up until the end, even if the chance is extremely thin.
Max maintained his lead over Lando, as the McLaren driver struggled for grip on the ice-cold track.
With Max one position ahead, the championship slipped from Lando's fingers as the race was coming to a close. "Lando boxed into the gap between himself and Oscar to secure an extra point for the fastest lap." This would not be enough for the 6-year McLaren driver.
Max finished in 5th place and Lando in 6th.
After the race, Lando reflected on his performance, saying, "It was a reasonable race, but we didn’t have any pace in the car and experienced difficult, challenging conditions. It’s just not been our weekend; we struggled a lot."
A congratulations was in order for Max as he claimed his 4th title amidst his struggles following McLaren's upgrades in Miami.
The Grand Prix track Photo: Kristen Kelly
He celebrated all night in Sin City, being spotted with friends and family, and then swiftly headed off to the third and final race of the triple-header that following week.
As for Lando, he expressed that his confidence grew this year, as he did not expect to be competing for the championship. With relief coming and the stress off his shoulders, he went on to win the last race of the year, securing his 4th win of the season.
Although Max struggled in the middle part of the season, his dominant start and the challenges faced by his rivals at the end ultimately led to a successful year. Lando finished second in the Drivers' Championship and helped secure McLaren the Constructors' Championship with his final race win, earning the crucial points needed to beat Ferrari.
The Las Vegas Strip turned Race Track Photo:Kristen Kelly