Preview:Las Vegas Grand Prix - track guide, weather, start time, how to watch, prediction

McLaren star Lando Norris will be looking to move closer to claiming the driver's world championship title in this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The championship leader boasts a 24-point advantage over his teammate Oscar Piastri, while he enjoys a sizeable 49-point advantage over four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Race Preview

Norris aiming to increase championship lead

Norris is currently in a strong position to become a Formula 1 world champion after producing a positive run of results across the last four races.

The British driver bounced back from his disappointing seventh-placed finish in Singapore with podium finishes in Singapore and Texas.

Norris then enjoyed a faultless weekend in Mexico, converting his pole position into a race win to leapfrog Piastri in the championship standings.

Buoyed by that success, Norris produced an even better weekend in Brazil, translating a Sprint pole into a win before winning from pole in the Grand Prix to move 24 points ahead of Piastri with just three race weekends to go.

The 26-year-old cannot seal the championship in Las Vegas, but he could put himself in a position to seal the deal in Qatar next weekend.

Can Piastri and Verstappen catch Norris?

As for Piastri, he has significant work to do if he is to become the first Australian to win the Formula 1 driver's championship since

Piastri has struggled for strong results since he finished in third spot in Italy, where he was controversially told to hand second place back to Norris following his teammate's slow pit-stop.

The 24-year-old crashed out in Azerbaijan and settled for fourth spot in Singapore, before he finished in fifth position in each of the next three Grand Prixs.

After ending the Brazil Sprint in the wall, Piastri experienced more frustration in the race when he was harshly given a 10-second penalty for his role in a collision involving Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.

Piastri will have to put that disappointment behind him, as he looks to claim his first race win since standing on the top in the Netherlands in August.

As for Verstappen, he forced his way back into championship contention with a run of top-two finishes across five consecutive races.

However, his championship push has lost momentum with back-to-back third-placed finishes, even if he put on a racing clinic to take his Red Bull from a pit lane start to the podium in the main race in Brazil.

The Dutchman would have entered the season with hopes of clinching a fifth consecutive title, but he will be well aware that it would take something remarkable for him to retain his crown in 2025.

Hamilton still searching for Ferrari podium

Ferrari chairman John Elkann made headlines when he said, "we have drivers who need to focus more and talk less," following the double DNF in Brazil.

Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc attempted to downplay those comments ahead of the race in Las Vegas, with the pair looking to finish strong in what has been a difficult season for Ferrari.

Leclerc has at least picked up seven podiums this season, which is something that has alluded Hamilton in his maiden season as a Ferrari driver.

The seven-time world champion will be desperate to clinch a top-three finish before the chequered flag is waved in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.

Russell out to repeat last season's heroics

As for Mercedes, they will have fond memories of last season's Las Vegas Grand Prix, where George Russell converted his pole position into a race victory.

The Brit is targeting his third victory of the year, while his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli will be dreaming of securing his maiden Grand Prix win.

Track Guide - Las Vegas Strip Circuit

First official Grand Prix: 2023

Circuit Length: 6.201km

Number of laps: 50

Lap record: Lando Norris - 1:34.876 (2024)

There were two races held in Las Vegas in the 1980s when the Grand Prix was held in the parking lot of the famous Caesars Palace hotel.

Alan Jones won with Williams in 1981 before Michele Alboreto prevailed in the following year in what proved to be the final F1 Grand Prix at Caesars Palace.

Formula 1 finally returned to Las Vegas in 2023, making it the third race in the USA on the F1 calendar after Miami and Texas.

The new street circuit allows the drivers to race down the iconic Las Vegas strip at night and take in a number of major landmarks like the MSG Sphere, Paris Las Vegas and the Bellagio.

Verstappen won the first race around the Las Vegas strip circuit, before Russell finished on the top step in his Mercedes in 2024.

In regard to overtaking opportunities, there are two DRS zones on the circuit, with the first detection point situated after the second corner and the third just after the barely-noticeable 13th corner.

The track is known for its low grip and cool temperatures, largely due to the fact that the race takes place at night in the desert in November.

Las Vegas schedule

When does qualifying for the Las Vegas GP start?

The qualifying session will start at 8pm local time on Friday, which means an early 4am start on Saturday for UK viewers.

When does the Las Vegas start?

Like qualifying, lights out for the race will take place at 8pm local time on Saturday and 4am for F1 fans watching from the UK on Sunday.

Las Vegas Grand Prix weather forecast

Saturday

As per the F1 website, the chance of rain will decrease as Friday progresses, meaning a cold but dry qualifying session is expected.

Sunday

There is currently no risk of rain for the race, but the low night time temperatures will have an impact on the grip levels.

How to watch the Las Vegas GP in the UK

Sky customers will be able to watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Sky Sports Formula 1 and Sky Sports main event channels.

Streaming

You can also catch the race on Sky Go and the Sky Sports app. Alternatively, you can stream the race by buying a NOW TV pass.

Highlights

Sky Sports should upload highlights to their official F1 YouTube page. There is also the opportunity to watch race highlights on Channel 4 from 1pm on Sunday.

We say: Verstappen to win

McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes may all feel they can get their car on the top step on what could be an unpredictable Las Vegas Grand Prix.

As a previous race winner in Las Vegas, Verstappen should be able to use that experience to his advantage, and if he can produce the magic that we saw from him in Brazil, we think he will claim his sixth Grand Prix victory of the season this weekend.