Max Verstappen and Red Bull may have registered a dominant win in Sao Paulo but this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is likely to throw an entirely different challenge because of the circuit’s characteristics and the cooler weather conditions. While Ruth Buscombe yet believes that the Dutchman is the favorite to win this weekend’s race purely because of his driving skill, she revealed that she would not count Charles Leclerc and Ferrari completely out of it either.
“I don’t think anyone in Las Vegas is going to be betting against Max Verstappen this weekend in terms of pure driving skill, especially after coming on the back of Brazil. But in terms of car performance, on paper it is a Ferrari track,” Buscombe stated on F1’s Weekend Warm-Up.
She added that she also had a conversation with Leclerc before this weekend’s Las Vegas GP and told him that he could win the race in Sin City. While the Ferrari driver appreciated Buscombe’s comments, he told her, “Don’t jinx me”, perhaps because of his superstitions.
Buscombe believes that two things are likely to play in Leclerc’s favor. First is the Monegasque’s sheer ability to set blistering lap times during qualifying, and second are the low-speed corners in Las Vegas that could help him and Ferrari.
If last year’s race in Sin City is anything to go by, then Ferrari did indeed lay down a marker, especially during qualifying. Leclerc qualified on pole while his teammate Carlos Sainz set the second-fastest lap time.
Lewis Hamilton was in the zone in second practice
Ride onboard as he posts the fastest lap on a rapid Vegas track ⏱️#F1 #LasVegasGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/NRKP0MaMsx
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2024
While the two Ferraris were also incredibly quick in the race, it was Verstappen who won it, probably because of his superior driving style and Red Bull’s better race pace, something Buscombe alluded to in her most recent comments. Although all the talk coming into this weekend has been about Ferrari, one cannot rule out the two Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton leads the field after Thursday’s practice sessions
Both Hamilton and Russell were incredibly quick during both free practice sessions on Thursday. Hamilton set the pace in both FP1 and FP2, while Russell clocked the second-fastest time in FP1 and was third-quickest in FP2.
Hamilton was also pleasantly surprised by Mercedes’ improved pace after some disappointing outings in recent weeks. However, he insisted that fans and experts should not make too much of their pace as they are still struggling in terms of their race pace.
Considering the Las Vegas track is an overtaking-friendly circuit, every team’s race performance may indeed be more important than their qualifying pace as that is when the points are handed. Therefore, a team like Ferrari may indeed still be the favorites even if Mercedes were to lock out the front row.
As for Ferrari, they will hope to grab as many points as they can this weekend in Las Vegas as they are still very much in the hunt to win their first Constructors’ title in more than a decade. With just three Grand Prix weekends remaining, Ferrari have a 36-point deficit to leaders McLaren.
