Max opens Las Vegas race weekend in fifth

Published on 22 November 2024 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen has finished the first free practice leading up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix in fifth. On the 6,201 meter long Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes set the fastest lap time. He was followed in the top three by teammate George Russell and Lando Norris' McLaren. Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, and Max in his Red Bull, completed the top five. Max's Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate, Sergio Perez, went tenth fastest. 

As the lights at the end of the pitlane go green, the paddock is, for the first time in 2024, off to a race weekend where Max Verstappen could secure the world championship. The goal is clear: in the coming Las Vegas race, Max needs to finish ahead of Lando Norris in order to acquire the coveted title of four-time world champion. 

At the start of the practice, Oscar Piastri is the first to take to the track, followed by most of the grid. It's only minutes before only Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon are still in the pits. Max, too, is underway on a set of soft tyres. His first flying lap puts him at the top of the timesheets. 

The title of fastest driver keeps switching hands, as slowly the fastest lap times drop below 1:40. After twenty minutes, it appears only Oracle Red Bull Racing are still on soft tyres; the rest of the grid are on mediums. 

After 25 minutes, a black-white warning flag is waved for Franco Colapinto. The Argentinian driver drove outside the lines coming into the pitlane. Meanwhile the two Mercedes are topping the timesheets, with Max down in P8. Halfway through the session the track calms down as most drivers return to the pits. In the meantime Alex Albon, too, gets a black-white flag, for the same transgression as his teammate. 

As the session continues, the track temperature drops further and further. The thermometer shows 15 degrees. In the last quarter of an hour, many teams make the transistion to the soft tyres. The question of who takes P1 in the first free practice session picks up again, with the top driver switching moment to moment. Max tells his team via the radio that he's having problems with the steering wheel: "The steering wheel sometimes randomly disconnects". He still climbs his way into sixth place. 

In the closing phases of the practice, Max manages to improve from tenth to fifth place, bringing the first Las Vegas free practice to an end. 

Contest Las Vegas GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

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