Verstappen to stop on grid and attend Bellagio if championship secured at Las Vegas GP
24th November 2024Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen will have to stop on the grid and go to the Bellagio if he takes the driver’s championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, talk commenced about the possibility of Verstappen taking his fourth consecutive world championship title at the gambling capital of the world.
Verstappen holds a 62-point lead in the driver’s championship, ahead of his closest and only rival McLaren’s Lando Norris, and the Dutchman only needs three points to take the title in Sin City.
Following qualifying, the defending world champion out-qualified his championship rival by one place. Verstappen will start the race in fifth place with Norris starting right behind him.
However, according to the FIA’s post-race procedure, if Verstappen clinches his fourth world title in Las Vegas, he will have to attend the top-three post-race procedures even if he doesn’t finish inside either of those positions.
Number four is truly in reach for Max Verstappen now 🏆
If he and Lando both finish the Las Vegas Grand Prix where they qualified, and Norris fails to score the fastest lap, Max WILL be crowned champion once again 👑#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/Q1QnLj2xIc
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2024
In the FIA document, it states:
“After taking the chequered flag the top three drivers should stop on the grid in the vicinity of grid position 10 where they will find the 1,2,3 boards.
“In the event that the World Drivers’ Championship is decided in the Race, the Champion should also stop on the grid (even if he finishes outside of the top three).”
This means even if Verstappen finishes the race as the world champion, he will have to stop on the grid with the top three drivers – even if he isn’t one of those. In addition, the Dutch driver will also have to join the top three drivers in their trip to the Bellagio for the post-race interviews ahead of the podium celebrations.
As it currently stands, Verstappen’s current position of fifth place will be enough for him to seal the title away from Norris, if the McLaren driver finishes behind him without the fastest lap.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Franco Colpainto cleared for Las Vegas GP with pit lane start
- Williams release statement after Franco Colapinto Las Vegas GP crash
- Russell pips Sainz and Gasly to Las Vegas GP pole position
- Russell completes Mercedes hat-trick with fastest lap in Las Vegas GP FP3
- Lewis Hamilton fastest across the opening day in Las Vegas GP
- Hamilton tops first practice of Las Vegas GP ahead of Russell
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
