My Paradox

By Diego Martinez

It’s officially race week in Las Vegas, meaning we have another fight for the championship between the top three. Lando Norris currently holds P1 in the championship with 390 points, a 24-point gap between his teammate Oscar Piastri, who sits in P2 with 366 points. In P3 and facing elimination in Las Vegas sits Max Verstappen with 341 points. We are looking ahead to another unpredictable race weekend.

Race prediction

1st – Lando Norris

2nd – George Russell

3rd – Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri

Las Vegas is a tricky circuit and has dire consequences, which means that McLaren can not afford any mistakes this weekend. Although it would be best for them to avoid any mistakes, I can see this race getting techy in terms of pit stops for McLaren. A race driver I see this happening to is Oscar Piastri. Oscar has had a long run of unfortunate events happen to him throughout this season. A missed opportunity at a win in Silverstone due to a penalty, team orders in Monza, and a costly crash in Baku have proven to me that another unlucky event is almost inevitable for Oscar. I’m writing this hoping that I am wrong, and if I am, I can see Oscar finishing on the podium.

George Russell

The winner of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The only driver who isn’t with McLaren or Red Bull to win a race this year. George Russell has shown amazing consistency this season with 2 race wins and 8 podiums. George Russell is WDC material, and he has only continued to prove that this season. Russell has incredible straight-line speed, which will be beneficial on this kind of circuit. At the end of the day, he still has to beat the championship leader, which has me predicting him to finish P2, a podium I will not be surprised to see for Russell this weekend.

Lando Norris

The championship leader. Ever since he took the lead in Mexico, he is looking like he is not going to give it back. Lando is now determined more than ever to keep up his super performances. That McLaren is looking fast and Lando is looking dangerous. Lando also seems to be a lot happier. He is making good decisions on and off the track and driving well. Lando is finally driving like a champion. If things stay this way for Lando, we might see Lando clinch the title before we reach Abu Dhabi. Give me Lando winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

What’s at stake for Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen already believes the team has lost ground, and his chances of achieving a 5th title are over. Mathematically, Lando needs to increase the gap to 59 points, but after Vegas there are only 58 points available. If Lando wins Las Vegas, Max would need to finish P2 to stay alive. This means if Lando wins with Max finishing P3, it won’t be enough, and he could be mathematically eliminated. If there is anything that I learned watching F1, it’s to never count Max out. I have Max finishing in the points, but not enough to stay alive.

To conclude, I believe we are in for a dramatic Grand Prix this weekend, and there is a lot on the line for the top three in the championship. We also can not rule out any of the techy bits we could be facing this weekend, so as always, anything is possible. Lando Norris is never guaranteed a win, but if he plays his cards right, Lando might not need to wait until Abu Dhabi to be crowned a champion.