Verstappen, the Clear Favourite for Las Vegas

Since the middle of last summer, a question has been repeatedly asked among Formula 1 fans: Is there a championship? McLaren's clear improvement has paralleled Red Bull's decline, which is no coincidence, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez's team (yes, he's still with Red Bull) were caught with the asymmetric braking trick and have struggled ever since.

However, the gains achieved so far and the FIA and Formula 1's reluctance to exclude a team that used a technical loophole, at the very least, have allowed Verstappen to reach this stage of the championship with his first match point. The calculations are relatively simple: he must win, regardless of what Norris does, or at least finish ahead of him and score two more points at the Las Vegas circuit. On paper, it's relatively easy, as despite Norris having scored more than Verstappen in six of the last ten races, he hasn't been able to deliver a decisive blow to the dream.

Norris, and he has admitted it himself, has not lived up to expectations. Too often, Norris has been 'soft', and in every head-to-head with Verstappen, he has come out on the losing side. It's no coincidence that what happened in Mexico ended with the three-time champion ahead, as he is one who has no fear. The difference with Norris is that Verstappen knows that in Formula 1, you can't be squeamish when fighting for the title. And the British driver himself, as charismatic off the track as he is disappointing in 2024, has admitted it without hesitation. "I probably wasn't ready to face Red Bull and Max. I think I am now, although it's probably too late to do so. Maybe there were other drivers in the past who were ready for such an occasion, but no one has faced Max so early in their career, mid-season, and given a fairly reasonable fight," he admitted at Thursday's press conference. It couldn't be clearer: Norris has conceded. If he hadn't shown enough strength with more mathematical options, now that Verstappen is on the rise and with title chances, even less so.

With this scenario, the interest in the remaining three races of this long championship will lie in seeing which team clinches the constructors' title. It's no small matter, as this is where the money distribution is at stake, and it's much more exciting. McLaren has overtaken Red Bull with ease several races ago, as Sergio Pérez's poor results have been too heavy an anchor against Verstappen's aforementioned decline, which has also allowed Ferrari to overtake them. With three races to go, the Woking team leads, followed by Maranello, with Milton Keynes chasing them.

The likely resolution of the 2024 championship will be in the second edition of the Las Vegas GP, where all the drivers have once again felt like the 'clowns' of the big circus. Many of them have accepted that these days they will experience moments that are embarrassing, amusing, and unforgettable. Like Yuki Tsunoda, who was mistaken for a North Korean spy at the airport due to his appearance (he was dressed in a kind of pyjama) and was detained for a few hours, or Carlos Sainz, who was almost made to play the saxophone at a promotional event. Such are the things in Las Vegas.

Precisely, the Spaniard is one of the favourites for the weekend. He has a bad memory from last year due to an unfair penalty imposed on him after being forced to change almost his entire car due to an accident caused by poorly sealed manholes on the 'strip', the straight flanked by casinos that runs through much of the track. Sainz wants to forget that bittersweet weekend, which he capped with a third place after Hamilton's disqualification, and give Ferrari another victory before thinking about Williams.

Fernando Alonso doesn't have many expectations, aware that at Aston Martin, there's little or nothing they can do, especially on a circuit like this and with the low temperatures expected, not exceeding 15 degrees. The best part is that this will be the penultimate race of the year and that, by the grace of the calendar, only three remain to end the more than forgettable 2024 season for the green team.