Breaking: Verstappen suffers Las Vegas Grand Prix NIGHTMARE as Hamilton dominates and hit…read more
Verstappen had a nightmare at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton put in an exceptional performance in Friday’s Las Vegas GP practice sessions, demonstrating his dominance on track. The seven-time world champion set the fastest lap in FP2 with a time of 1:33.825, following on from his best result in FP1 earlier in the day.
Hamilton’s pace underlined Mercedes’ strength, with team-mate George Russell setting the third fastest time in the second session. McLaren’s Lando Norris came closest to Hamilton’s pace, finishing just 0.011s behind. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc completed the top five, demonstrating the Scuderia’s competitiveness on the cold streets of Nevada.
Alpine and Haas also had notable performances in the top ten, with Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen finishing sixth and seventh respectively.Red Bull, meanwhile, had a miserable night. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez struggled to adapt to the cold conditions and finished 17th and 19th respectively, a performance that marks an unusual drop in form for the dominant team in 2024.
Verstappen, the ruling world champion and the current leader in the standings, will need a significant turn if he hopes to win his next title in Vegas. Perez, who was faced with the difficult season, also could not find any significant pace. Grand Prix -Vegasa plays an important role not only in the pilot ranking but also in the battle of designer championships.
While Red Bull fights to maintain his crown, Ferrari and McLaren’s rivals have reduced gaps and seem to be actually performing stronger performance.
The final practice and qualifying sessions will determine whether Red Bull can recover in time for the race, but a slow start has put the team on the defensive, with other mid-table teams such as Alpine, Haas and Aston Martin also hoping to take advantage of their unusual position in the pecking order.
As the weekend progresses, all eyes will be on Hamilton, who is likely to deliver another dominant performance, and Verstappen, who will have to work harder to get back in action in Las Vegas.
The unpredictable nature of the night race and its unique challenges promise to make for an exciting showdown under the neon lights of the Strip.
