Max Verstappen's fourth consecutive world championship triumph had looked in doubt at points in 2024. Lando Norris looked like the driver on form, and with Red Bull's pace dropping off just as McLaren got quicker, the Dutchman's title defence looked at risk.
However, following a sensational come-from-behind victory at a wet Interlagos after starting from a lowly 17th on the grid, Verstappen heads into Las Vegas with the knowledge, he can secure the title on Saturday night providing he finishes ahead of Norris.
Currently the gap between the two title rivals is 62 points, and with 60 points available in the last three races, including 10 for the winner of the Sprint at Qatar, the odds are stacked against Norris.
But how can Verstappen win the title this weekend, and what does Norris have to do to keep his title hopes alive?
Verstappen's straightforward task
Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Heading into Las Vegas, Verstappen holds all the aces, as he can clinch the title in three straightforward ways.
The first and most logical scenario would be to finish ahead of Norris as if the gap stays at 60 points by the end of the weekend the championship is done and dusted.
Winning Saturday night's race will also clinch the title regardless of where Norris finishes, even if this might be arduous given Red Bull's patchy form in 2024.
The other way he can clinch the title is if an early retirement or a poor qualifying mars Norris' weekend. These factors will greatly diminish the Brit's chance of finishing in the points, meaning Verstappen can drive slightly more cautiously if he wishes.
Norris: Win or bust
Photo: McLaren Racing Media Centre
While Verstappen's route to title number four is far more straightforward, Norris needs a perfect weekend to keep his championship hopes alive.
Even if he were to win on Saturday night, Norris would need Verstappen to finish third or lower, as a second-place finish for the Dutchman would still win him the title. In short, the Brit must be 59 points or less behind the Red Bull team leader if he wants to extend the title fight to Qatar.
There's also the possibility of cutting the deficit if Red Bull has reliability maladies or Verstappen makes a rare mistake. But this in itself is unlikely.
Verstappen has only had one DNF in 2024, which came through a freak brake failure while battling Carlos Sainz for the lead in Australia.
What happened in 2023?
Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix had all the ingredients for a great show off-track, but there were still question marks over whether the on-track product could enthral the audience.
Verstappen had already wrapped up the title at October's Qatar GP but wasn't resting on his laurels as he chased a fifth consecutive win in a season that saw him win 19 of the 22 races.
But the world champion was upstaged by the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Sainz, who locked out the front row with Verstappen third ahead of George Russell. Meanwhile, Norris had a torrid session, only managing 16th fastest before being promoted to 15th on the final grid, as Lance Stroll picked up a five-place grid penalty for overtaking under yellow flags in FP3.
With Sainz picking up a 10-place grid to change several power unit components after running over a drain cover in FP1, Verstappen was upgraded to second.
When the action finally got underway, both Leclerc and Verstappen entered Turn 1 side-by-side, but the Dutchman on the inside gave his former karting adversary a slight nudge off the track, taking the lead.
The stewards immediately investigated the bold manoeuvre, but attention was diverted as Norris suffered a heavy crash on lap 3, escaping unharmed.
Once the safety car ended, the stewards revealed their decision, handing Verstappen a five-second time penalty, which he would serve at his pitstop on lap 16, as Leclerc stayed out until lap 21.
By the end of the first round of stops, Leclerc ran third behind race leader Sergio Perez, who stopped on the opening lap due to front wing damage. Meanwhile, Verstappen was cutting his way through the field, but his progress was interrupted by a small contretemps on lap 24, where he made contact with Russell while battling for fourth.
Due to the amount of debris on the course, the safety car was deployed again, with Verstappen, Perez, and Leclerc taking full advantage, stopped for a fresh set of rubber.
On lap 32, Perez, running second, took his chance and snatched the lead from Leclerc. As they fought for the lead, Verstappen reigned them in by setting the fastest lap before clearing Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri to move up to third.
Verstappen got a front-row seat as Leclerc passed Perez for the lead on lap 35, and within a lap, he was right with the Monegasque.
On lap 37, Verstappen retook the lead from Leclerc and never looked back, taking a hard-fought victory in Las Vegas, completing a clean sweep of the Americas.
Meanwhile, Leclerc snatched second from Perez in the penultimate corners of the final lap. However, the result was academic to the Mexican, who secured runners-up honours in the Drivers Championship for the first time in his F1 career.
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