Formula One Vault

This Grand Prix – Las Vegas (24/11/2024)

Hello, welcome to this Las Vegas Grand Prix, a weekend full of surprise intrigue and excitement to kick off the final triple-header of the season. Mercedes fighting at the front once again and Max Verstappen becoming a four-time champion, as McLaren still has a chance in the constructors championship.

General News

Following the debut of Franco Colapinto the Argentinian government is exploring whether to bring F1 back to Buenos Aires for the first time since the 1900s. The country’s former vice president and current Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports Daniel Scioli, and the Argentinian automobile federation president Cesar Carman as they held exploratory talks with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The dream is for the Argentinian Grand Prix to return to the calendar at the same circuit that last hosted the event, the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez initially built in the 1950s, ideally incorporating part of its longer original loop so modern F1 cars can stretch their legs, rather than the cramped and unpopular layout used in the 90s.

Since Colapinto’s debut in Monza, the 2018 Youth Olympic gold medallist in karting, has emerged as a late contender for a seat next year or in 2026 as he matched his experienced teammate Alex Albon.   He has also been linked as a possible Red Bull or RB drive because of interest from both fans in South America and in particular his native Argentina.

Scioli told Motorsport.com, “I am very proud of what Colapinto is generating as an Argentinian. His charisma, his human qualities, his quality as a driver are wonderful. At a time when Formula 1 is growing, generating more and more expectations, it is an event that goes beyond sport, with political and social impact.”

Asked about the meeting with F1, Scioli replied: “We are starting to work on the possibility of bringing F1 back to Argentina. Stefano knows Argentina very well, he has the best memories of our country. The meeting was very cordial, bearing in mind that we are talking about the organisation of an event that is the most sophisticated in the world in terms of logistics of all kinds.”

However there are several new, returning and current races all bidding for races on a twenty-four race calendar, the sport is considering splitting it into a core set of annual historic races like Silverstone, Monza, Monaco and rotating other races.

But he confirmed to Motorsport.com that, according to the austere policies of president Javier Milei’s libertarian government, the project will have to rely exclusively on private funding to get off the ground.

Organisers of the Canadian GP have announced a date swap with Monaco from 2026, the news follows the announcement that Monaco will move from the last weekend in May to the first weekend in June. A statement said, the Montreal race was “planned to be scheduled on the third or fourth weekend of May each year”, rather than mid-June as it has typically been held in recent seasons.

Since 2022 the sport has crossed the Atlantic twice in six weeks with Miami in early May and Montreal in early June. This feeds into the 2023 plan to regionalise races thus reducing its carbon footprint, as well as cost. F1 saw this anomaly as a barrier to its pledge to become net zero by 2030.

F1 president and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali said: “We applaud the tremendous effort from all involved to accelerate the temporary build of the event, to be ready to host the Formula 1 community earlier than in the past. The change will make the future flow of our calendar not only more sustainable but logistically more sensible for our teams and personnel.”

Organisers in the past been reluctant to move their date, arguing that they needed the extra time to prepare the track and environs after the long Quebec winter. The event also coincided with a wider celebration of the beginning of summer in the city.

Since 2019, the promoter has invested in upgrading the circuit including a new pit and paddock complex built during the Covid pandemic when the race was placed on hiatus between 2020-21.

Jean-Philippe Paradis, chief executive officer of Montreal race organisers the Octane Racing Group, said: “This change in the schedule is a major step in our commitment, as well as Formula 1’s, toward a more sustainable future.”

George Russell says that drivers are “a bit fed up” with the leadership of the FIA. The GPDA director says the drivers “weren’t aware” of the decision to remove the race director Niels Wittich three races before the end of the season. Tensions between the governing body and the trade union have been tense since comments made by Ben Sulayem about swearing last month, as well as a lack of transparency over how money for fines for driving transgressions was being used

Russell made it clear he was referring specifically to the leadership of the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He said it was “not difficult” to have a meeting with Ben Sulayem, but “having promises fulfilled is another matter”.

Russell said: “Talking as a fellow driver as opposed to my role with the GPDA, everybody felt with certain things that have happened that we wanted to stand united. At the end of the day, we just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue.”

America’s biggest car manufacturer General Motors is closing in on a deal wit F1 and the FIA to enter F1 in 2026. The move comes out of the failure of the Andretti organisation’s attempt to gain a place on the F1 grid this year.

Andretti owner Dan Towriss is at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend working on the entry. It will be purely GM, and Andretti will not be involved once it is up and running, sources say. F1 declined to comment but is said to view this bid differently from the Andretti proposal it rejected in January.

GM which owns Ford has already teamed up with Red Bull/RB to build power units from 2026, but the plan is for a second brand Cadillac to become a power unit manufacturer in 2028. Andretti is no longer involved in the team, and this attempt is different as it would in effect be a power unit manufacturer entering the sport as a works team taking the power unit manufacturers for 2026 to six, after Renault withdraws.

Andretti attempt reportedly was rejected because of his ‘rubbing people up the wrong way’ and his ‘confrontational approach’ to trying to secure an entry. F1 is facing an investigation from the US Department of Justice into its decision to reject Andretti’s initial entry.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said in Las Vegas on Thursday: “If a team can add to the championship, particularly if GM decides to come in as a team owner, that is a different story. And as long as it is creative, that means we’re growing the popularity of the sport, we’re growing the revenue of the sport, then no team will ever be against it. So I’m putting my hope in there.”

Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur said: “The discussion is between FIA, the team and F1. It’s not our choice. For sure, if it’s good for the sport, good for the show, good for business, and adds value on the sporting side, we are all OK.”

Weekend Recap

FP1 saw Lewis Hamilton lead a Mercedes one-two with a 35.001 set in the closing moments of the session going nearly four-tenths faster than teammate George Russell. Lando Norris was third almost six-tenths behind Russel and a second off Hamilton, allowing the English trio to lock out the top three, the McLaren driver was half a tenth ahead of Charles Leclerc.

FP2 Hamilton again led the session with a 38,825 but Norris managed to split the Mercedes duo this time after going just over a tenth and three quarters ahead of George Russell as the three Englishman once again locked out the top three. The grip was much improved during the second session which allowed the three Mercedes-powered cars to go ahead of the Ferrari’s.

FP3 was topped by Russell with a 33.570 which put him two-tenths faster than Oscar Piastri thanks to a late red flag caused by Lance Stroll stopping by Treasure Island. Sainz was third and Norris fourth with the top four all separated by  a tenth in the early evening session.

Qualifying saw Russell beat Carlos Sainz to pole by just under a tenth. The Mercedes driver set a 32.312 in the closing moments of Q3 to put himself ahead of the Spaniard in a session which saw drama throughout. Pierre Gasly surprised putting his Alpine third splitting the two Ferraris, he was a quarter of a second off Sainz and ahead of Charles Leclerc by over a tenth. Leclerc, who took pole last year, also aborted his first run and his final attempt had a poor first sector,

Russell converted pole into victory as he beat Hamilton by seven seconds after the seven time champion charged from tenth to pass both Sainz and Leclerc for second in the closing stages. The two Ferraris were locked in a battle for most of the race, Leclerc at the start past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Leclerc before tyre wear began to bite allowing both the Mercedes to pull away.

Verstappen sealed the championship by at least three points with two rounds to go, it was an uneventful night for the now four-time champion as he kept himself ahead of Norris. It was a performance he needed in order to secure 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.

Norris was twenty-seven seconds behind Verstappen as he beat his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by almost eight and a half seconds.

Red Bull

Sergio Perez has condemned homophobic remarks made by his father, Antonio, towards the former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. In a podcast interview, Perez Garibay made a homophobic slur towards Schumacher during an answer in which he said the former Williams driver.

Schumacher announced in July that he has been in a same-sex relationship with Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne. Perez said, “First of all, I don’t agree with any of his comments. I think he did a mistake in that regard. I don’t share any of his views but at the same time I don’t control what my father has to say, I can only control what I say.”

In response, Schumacher wrote on Instagram, “I would also stand behind my son hundred per cent and try to help. That’s what you do as a father. As far as style is concerned, I would be different but we know Mr Perez with all his emotions. That’s why I’m not angry with him. However, I think that results on the track would be the better arguments.”

Following qualifying where he could only manage fifth almost six-tenths of pole Max Verstappen said the team not having the low-drag wing like its rivals meant they “thrown away two race weekends” by not having a specific low-drag rear meaning it suffered “in the corners and on the straights” in Las Vegas.

Red Bull was around 7kph down on the straights compared to Mercedes and McLaren, though the gap did close in qualifying with Verstappen still out qualifying championship rival Lando Norris. He said, “We opted to not make one, we don’t have one. So this is already from 2022, I think we just never thought we would run it that low. And then with the budget cap, you choose your priorities and we shifted that.”

“We would have liked to have a lower wing, a lower-downforce wing, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape. It’s something I will look at but, on the other hand, there’s only one more year left with these rules, and I don’t know if it makes sense. But for me at least, it feels a bit like we throw away two race weekends like this because you definitely lose too much on the straights.”

We know Red Bull had tough races in Monza and Baku which are similar circuits, where they are losing time is in the two main areas the straights and corners, they have also struggled with tyre warm-up.

Verstappen’s fifth place was enough for him to seal a fourth title thanks to his brilliant seven wins in the opening eight races despite the pressure from Norris in the middle part of the season. He said, “It’s been a long season, and of course we started off amazing – it was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run. But as a team, you know, we kept it together.”

“We kept working on improvements, and we pulled it over the line. I’m incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me. To stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something that I never thought was possible. So, yeah, at the moment just feeling relieved in a way, but also very proud. It was a very challenging season. I think also as a person, at times, it’s very challenging and I had to be calm.”

I think though we wanted this fight to go all the way to Abu Dhabi and it looked likely as we know a strong start with eight wins in the first ten tends to translate into championships, but we already knew Verstappen was an exceptional driver and now truly one of the all time greats.

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton topped both of Thursday’s practice sessions but the team were unable to explain why. Hamilton led an all-British top-three across both practice sessions, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell second in FP1 and behind the McLaren of Lando Norris in third later on.

Having fallen back following three wins from four races at the start of the summer, the times are promising for Mercedes, although Russell conceded no one knows quite how the car delivered the pace. Hamilton told reporters “ Yeah, incredible day. I’d love to tell you why, to be honest, we are scratching our heads a little bit, why it was so, so positive. Obviously, it was only practice. Lewis did a really great job out there as well.”

“He’s been really on it since lap one, but the car has just been working. But you know, we’re on a street track. It’s really dirty. It’s getting faster and faster every lap. Because we were fast today, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to replicate it tomorrow, when the track will be probably three seconds faster. So, pleasantly surprising.” But we know in Spielberg, Silverstone and Spa where it was cooler than seasonal norms that Mercedes won races and that street circuits are dusty.

This circuit doesn’t stay closed all weekend like Singapore or Melbourne meaning that the dust will be laid again befor qualifying and the race, which could be advantageous for Mercedes in both qualifying and the race.

Russell echoed the sentiments of Wolff and feels other teams may have also been holding something back. when asked if he was fearful Mercedes could be pegged back, he said, “It’s definitely not a fear. I think the perception of us losing performance is maybe not quite fair. I think it’s more of a function that our competitors don’t use their high power. They might be running a bit more fuel than us on a Friday, so they’re kind of historically, they’ve been sandbagging a little bit more, and when they take it off they go into their normal position.

“There’s a possibility that will happen again tomorrow, but the gap we showed this morning and this evening has been pretty substantial. But I’m sure the other rivals are going to work hard overnight and close that gap, but I just hope we can continue the form.”

CEO and team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed he rejected Lewis Hamilton’s enquiry about driving for Ferrari at end-of-season testing in Abu Dhabi ahead of the seven-time world champion’s switch to the Italian team next year. The dual young driver and tyre test allows teams to learn about the compounds for the following season.

Ferrari wanted to bring him to replace Sainz who they have released to Williams for the test, but Wolff admitted he was not willing to offer the same treatment for the Brit. Speaking alongside Ferrari counterpart Fred Vasseur at the team principals’ press conference, Wolff said “I think it’s a different… also if you’re moving to Williams. We have contractual agreements with sponsors, we’re having a farewell for Lewis, we’re having lots of activities that are planned.”

“Him and I, we spoke about it shortly, and he said, ‘I guess that’s not going to work’. And I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to work.’ And that was the whole thing, so I don’t think Fred is particularly sad.”

Vasseur said he “respected” Wolff’s stance, noting the difference in circumstance with Sainz having been forced out of Ferrari rather than opting to leave.

Wolff was asked about the comments reported from a book, which followed the team through their turbulent 2023 campaign and the start of 2024 he made about Hamilton having a “shelf-life” and his relief at the Brit’s decision to leave preventing him from possibly having to get rid of the 105-time race winner at a later date.

Asked whether he needed to clear the air with Hamilton following the book’s release, Wolff replied: “Lewis and I speak, and we’ve always done so. A sentence that is being made public on the weekend particularly when he hasn’t been satisfied about his driving and about the car, then one plus one makes it look bad. But one rule that we’ve established very early in our relationship is that we talk immediately – ‘why did you say that or what did you mean?’ And that is what we have done.”

Russell took pole by just under a tenth ahead of Sainz after converting that pace in practice, despite contact with the wall at Ceaser’s Forum on his pole lap. Asked if pole was expected coming into the weekend, Russell replied: “Honestly, absolutely not. It feels incredible to be back on pole. We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what’s happened before then.

“I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing, so there was a moment when I thought we weren’t going to make the flag. I’m just so happy, and we’ve got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend, because it was a real surprise!”

This weekend has been good for Mercedes following a tough few races and we know they have been strong at this type of circuit in cooler conditions as we saw back in July. They need a strong result following difficulties at recent races, this could I think be the last chance of victory this season.

After finishing second seven seconds behind Russell, Hamilton believed he could have won the race. The Englishman was tenth on the grid after messing up both laps Q3, despite his best time in Q2 being good enough for third, never less he made up places early on which brought him into the fight for the podium.

He then displayed stronger pace over the other frontrunners, as Mercedes appeared to be at home on the cooler, low-grip track surface, although an attempt to close in on his winning team-mate George Russell eventually stalled out. ,” Hamilton remarked, “That was great. “Firstly I’ve got to say a big congratulations to Max winning the championship, still with several races to go.”

“And if I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today. But it’s okay. I had fun coming from the back, coming from tenth and the team did a fantastic job. We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but that’s the best the car’s ever felt. So I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.

“Maybe the reason that we did so well is because it’s cold. If we’re in a hot climate, that’s where we struggle the most. If the car drives like that in the next couple of races, then I think we’ll be in a good spot to challenge the guys up front. The championship’s done, so now it’s just an all-out fight for the best positions possible.”

Russell described his win in Las Vegas as a “dream weekend” and, like Hamilton, was surprised that Mercedes could carry its pace throughout the entire weekend. He admitted to expecting chaos to emerge behind him, and was pleasantly surprised that he was able to streak into the lead with very little to derail him from his path to victory.

Russell added, “I was planning on flying in a couple of hours, but I’m definitely not getting on that flight and I’m going to enjoy this evening with all my with all my team. It’s been a dream of a weekend.”

“To get the victory here, pole position, dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well, you know, we couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.  I was just waiting for something to happen. The two races I’ve been on pole before, it’s always been chaos.

Ferrari

In Thursday’s practice sessions both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc accepted they struggled to get their tyres up to temperature, the Spaniard comparing it even to Istanbul in 2020. The team focus on race performance has helped them this season after they struggled in recent years to convert poles into victories, but that has cost them on single lap pace.

At circuits like Vegas, that means they are more expose on here a smooth track with few medium/high-speed corners has resulted in the SF-24 lacking the snap heat generation of its forebears. Sainz noted that the circuit improved greatly during FP1 after the “Turkey 2020” opening laps of the session – a race in which drivers were rewarded with staying out on used intermediates rather than switching to slicks on the drying Istanbul circuit.

The Spaniard explained, “Those first laps in FP1 were the lowest grip I think since Turkey 2020, where we had those crazy low grip conditions. Through the day the track ramped up and picked up some grip. But with that also, the temperature came down as we got more into the night and then everything seemed a bit more complicated.”

“I think everyone’s in the same boat; it’s a very fine line between having the tyres ready, and not ready in sector one. From then on, it can snowball into a very good lap or a very bad lap. So yeah, it is a different track. I think we’re in the mix. Mercedes has been very strong all day, Lando and McLaren also. Maybe we are not performing as strong as everyone was thinking we were going to perform.”

But Leclerc believed that Ferrari’s performance in practice was expected to find a solution for Friday to enjoy “the best of both worlds” without compromising on promising race pace. Ferrari was outperformed by Mercedes and McLaren in one-lap pace in FP2, but barely shadowed McLaren in the longer runs.

He added, “We expected it to happen, as we are struggling a little bit to put the tyres in temperature. I think Mercedes looks very, very strong. They’ve been a bit more aggressive on tyres all year long. They are very strong for now.”

“So we’ve got to try and find something to try and turn the situation around – but we’re not so far. All in all, I think we are very strong in race pace, a bit less strong in quali. It’s been a bit the story of our season, but it’s better that way than, than the opposite.”

Leclerc was left to ponder what might have been at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after going from a challenge for the lead to finishing where he started in fourth. The Monacan jumped Gasly and Sainz at the start before going after pole sitter and eventually winner Russell at the start.

However following a failed overtake on Russell he lost track position in the long run to Hamilton and Sainz to finish fourth ahead of Verstappen by over two seconds following a late pass.

Leclerc said, “I mean, I was very excited at the start [in] P2, then, unfortunately, everything started to go very quickly wrong, because I pushed too much on the tyres .On the two other sets of hard we were very strong, but we lost too much on the first [set].”

In an interview with Sky Sports, Leclerc was asked to expand on the frustrated radio messages he sent to the Ferrari pit wall after the race, having emerged from his later second stop ahead of Sainz before being re-passed almost immediately.

Adding, “I mean, every time there’s these kind of frustrations, obviously there’s not the background for everybody. There’s just no need for me to go into details of everything that’s discussed. I won’t go further into that discussion.” I think it was a tough race for everyone and Ferrari we know its hard sometimes make the wrong calls.

Sainz bailed out of his stop on lap twenty-eight, which allowed Leclerc to overtake when he stopped three laps later. He then ignored a call on the radio not to overtake the exiting Leclerc, and duly made the move stick at Turn 4 to capture fourth – later becoming third when the two passed Max Verstappen.

Vasseur said that the incident was under discussion, but did not feel that it would be an issue between his two drivers. He explained that although Ferrari tried not to lose time by having the drivers fight, Leclerc was also having to bring his tyres in slowly.

McLaren

Lando Norris went into the weekend admitted he “wasn’t ready” for a title fight with Max Verstappen this season Despite saying he “wasn’t ready” for the championship, he is confident that he “had what it takes” to win a championship in the future.

Norris said, “I probably wasn’t outright ready to go up against Red Bull and Max. I think I am now now. But it’s probably too late. Max is one of the best drivers ever in F1. And to go up against that person who is so good takes a bit more than what I have done this season. But since the summer break, it is close to what it should be.”

“It is the first time we’ve had a chance to fight at the front. We’ve not been able to do that for the past six years, this has been our and my first opportunity. I was definitely not at the level I need to be at the beginning of the year. Since the summer break, I feel I’ve done a very good job and performed very well, by far some of my best performances.”

The team also relaxed its ‘Papaya Rules’ team orders which meant Oscar Piastri is no longer automatically playing a support role to Norris. Asked by Motorsport.com if what became known as ‘Papaya Rules’ had changed, Piastri said: “Pretty much, yes. There’s still some, let’s say, very specific scenarios where I might be needed to help out. But for the very large majority of situations, it’s back to how it was.”

“The drivers’ championship picture is very slim, and the constructors’ championship is certainly not over for us. It’s certainly not a done deal, so that’s definitely the biggest thing. So it’s a very specific few scenarios that maybe I’ll still help out if that’s what I’m asked to do, but I’m going into the weekend trying to win.”

Norris appeared to bounce back from the difficult race with third in both of Thursday practice sessions behind both Mercedes, with him just a hundredth behind Hamilton in FP2. Despite that he still predicted challenges to address going into qualifying on a weekend where it has been hard to read because of cool conditions and the dusty surface.

After working on both qualifying simulations and long-run pace, Norris summarised: “I think the low fuel stuff’s been ok. The high fuel I was shocking. Plenty of things to look into – these kinds of combinations of things and what we struggle with, with the front graining and stuff… I’m just not very good at it.

“It’s always a bit of a struggle for me but a good amount of time to work on it. Two halves really – good low fuel and difficult high fuel. It’s just very difficult, super low grip. I feel like I could drive a road car quicker than we drive at the minute. Mixed feelings.”

After Verstappen sealed his fourth title by out-scoring him by four points, Norris praised his championship rival as they finished where they started thus allowing the Red Bull driver to take the championship. Norris said “Congrats to Max – I’m disappointed I’m out of it, but Max deserved to win it. He drove a better season than I did, he deserved it more than anyone else, Max just doesn’t have a weakness.”

“When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always, always there to make your life tough and difficult. He drove a very good year, can’t fault him. This weekend’s been dreadful from us, we couldn’t even put up a fight against Max, something I would have loved to have done today, but congrats to him for what he’s achieved.”

I think despite losing the championship, Norris did everything he could and was realistic but retained that over self criticism we often talk about, but he did feel he got everything out of the race weekend and shifted the focus to the constructors.

Alpine

Alpine team principal Ollie Oakes has opened up on the team’s decision to switch to Mercedes powertrains for 2026, stating the team simply wanted “the best engine in the back of the car

Speaking on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Oakes noted that there was a lot of emotion involved in the decision-making to close down Renault’s 2026 powertrain project, but that it was in the team’s best interests to enact a move up the order.

Oakes told Beyond the Grid, “Some of those decisions that have been taken this year aren’t easy. The Viry topic is very personal to the team and a lot of people, because that is a really great history of being a works team. But also times change; you see that in all sorts of sports teams, that you can’t rest on your laurels.”

On the back of a podium in a tough season for the team, Pierre Gasly followed it up with third in qualifying taking advantage of the cold and slippery conditions. Signs were there with strong pace in the lower half of the top ten in FP3, before a very good lap to go third three and a half tenths of pole.

Speaking about the somewhat unexpected result, the Frenchman said: “It’s the first time ever so it’s unbelievable. Honestly, we didn’t think we would be able to achieve a top three in the quali. It was an incredible lap, especially around this track you’re flirting with the walls everywhere through the lap – a lot of adrenaline, a lot of excitement. I knew crossing the line it was a good lap, but when they came up on the radio telling me we’re lining up third tomorrow… it’s just amazing so really happy.”

For Gasly, it was his best qualifying of his career and shows how far Alpine have come since the upgrades a month ago in Austin. His teammate Esteban Ocon missed out on Q3 by just over a tenth and started eleventh

Sauber

Guanyu Zhou says his exit from Sauber has come at “the right time,” as he targets a reserve role with another team to keep his connections to the championship. In Sao Paulo the team announced that current F2 leader Gabriel Bortoleto would partner Nico Hulkenberg, thus completing in theory completing the 2025 grid.

Zhou said ahead of this weekend’s race, “Of course as much as I would have liked to and wanted to stay for next season, also I feel like it’s the right time after the tough races we’ve had this year and to start, let’s say, a new chapter. For me, at the moment of course I’d still love to finish in the season in the best way we could.”

The Chinese driver has a lot of interest from other teams for a reserve role but says there is no rush suggesting that the news isn’t going to be soon. Zhou and Kick Sauber have endured a troublesome final season together, with his P11 result in Bahrain still his best finish of the campaign. But he emphasised that, despite a trying season, he has fond memories of his three-year spell with the team, including becoming the first Chinese driver to race at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in 2024.

Reflecting on Shanghai which returned following a four-year hiatus in April, Zhou said “If I were to pick one special moment, I would definitely go for the home race, not just because of the result or anything like that. The atmosphere, the feeling inside myself over that whole weekend, it’s just so different to other places.”

“I’ve dreamed of being in this paddock but when you’re here, it’s a bit frustrating that there was no home race for two years. I worked so hard to get a home race and you see the crowd, how motorsport is growing back home – I’m just very proud of that and that was very memorable.”

Facts and stats (F1.com)

• The 2024 season is the first in F1 history in which four different constructors have finished one-two in a Grand Prix (Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes). It’s also the first season in history in which four constructors have won at least four Grands Prix each. And the first season in history in which seven drivers have won multiple Grands Prix.
• Lewis Hamilton remains seventh in the drivers’ championship, having never finished an F1 season outside the top six.
• Charles Leclerc took P4 and is the top scorer in the United States races this season with 64 points).
• After crossing the line in P5, Max Verstappen became the sixth driver in F1 history to win four (or more) world championships, after Juan-Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
• Verstappen joins Nelson Piquet (1981) and Keke Rosberg (1982) in winning the championship in Las Vegas. Meaning three of the four races in Vegas have decided the drivers championship

Results Summary

Championship Standings