Max Verstappen wins fourth world title as George Russell triumphs in Las Vegas Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen wins fourth world title as George Russell triumphs in Las Vegas Grand Prix

Third and fourth places for the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc reduced their deficit to McLaren in the constructors’ championship to 24 points with two races to go. Norris stopped for fresh tyres to take fastest lap in the closing stages to give McLaren an extra point.

Verstappen, starting one place ahead of Norris in fifth place on the grid, headed his rival throughout a relatively quiet race as Russell took control from the start.

Verstappen’s measured performance was aimed at securing the title at the first chance he had, and he did so with the calmness and aplomb with which he has driven for the vast majority of the year.

Russell controlled the race from the front, fending off an early challenge from Leclerc, who jumped from fourth on the grid to second past Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and then Sainz around the first two corners.

And as Leclerc then squabbled with the recovering Sainz, and the Ferraris then ran into tyre trouble before Mercedes and Verstappen, Russell stretched out his lead to take control of the race.

Hamilton ran 10th in the early laps, but drove a superb first stint, fast while also keeping his tyres in shape.

He vaulted up on to the back of the lead group by delaying his first stop, and passed Norris shortly after it. The seven-time champion then set about challenging the Ferraris, with Verstappen at this point second ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, having overtaken the red cars with a later pit stop.

But Hamilton, lacking straight-line speed in his Mercedes, was unable to make progress past the red cars.

Instead, Mercedes made a second pit stop on lap 27, a lap before Sainz and four laps before Leclerc, and used his pace to emerge in second place.

Russell followed Leclerc in on lap 32, and for a few laps after his stop Hamilton took chunks out of his team-mate’s lead, getting it down from 11.2 seconds to 7.4 in seven laps.

But it soon became clear that Russell had the race under control, and he led Hamilton to an unexpected one-two.

Behind them, the Ferraris closed back in on Verstappen after their final pit stops and both passed him in the final 10 laps.

Behind Norris, his team-mate Oscar Piastri was seventh as Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, RB’s Yjuki Tsunoda and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez completed the top 10.

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