Las Vegas GP: What’s changed for 2025 race, is F1 title now Lando Norris’ to lose and what next at Ferrari? | F1 News

It’s 21 down, three to go, for Formula 1 in 2025 with the sport back in the USA and the iconic Las Vegas Strip for the first of three consecutive race weekends to the end the season during which the fight for the Drivers’ Championship will finally be settled.

What’s different in Vegas for F1’s third year?

Formula 1 races under the bright neon lights of Las Vegas again this weekend with the meeting of the city dubbed the Entertainment Capital of the World and one of the world’s biggest sporting entities now into its third year.

The late November slot for F1’s now-annual takeover of the Vegas Strip, the week before Thanksgiving, has certainly proved successful for the resort city so far. The first race in 2023 produced an economic impact worth $1.5bn, which included one-off investments for the inaugural event, followed by revenues of $934m last year, already making it Vegas’ largest annual event.

Two years on from the extraordinary hype that accompanied that first event and F1, which promotes the race and invested into the city by buying the land on which the permanent pit building and first part of the track is situated, will hope the event has started to establish long-lasting roots.

While the 3.8-mile, 17-turn street circuit, which has produced good racing so far, remains the same – and includes the 1.2-mile dash down the famous Las Vegas Strip passing iconic locations like The Venetian, Bellagio fountains and Eiffel Tower at Paris – the floodlit event’s schedule has been tweaked for 2025.

Qualifying and the Grand Prix have both been brought forward by two hours to 8pm local time, which is 4am for Sky Sports F1 viewers in the UK and Ireland on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The 8pm local race start brings the event into line with Singapore, F1’s longest-established night race, and is a move likely to be welcomed by those in the paddock and attending at the track, particularly as evening temperatures become particularly chilly in Vegas this late time of year.

F1 Academy also becomes the first of F1’s three official series to feature on the Vegas support bill, which is fitting given the all-female season concludes this weekend with Doriane Pin and Maya Weug going head-to-head for that title.

Vegas’ hospitality and fan offering also continues to evolve for the event’s third running, with cheaper tickets released earlier. Shaggy is among this year’s headliners to play several music stages around the track.

Norris’ title to lose or can Piastri find a response?

Although the drivers’ title cannot be settled in Vegas, Lando Norris could move a significant step closer to winning it for the first time.

The lead of 24 points the Briton established after he followed up a perfect weekend in Mexico City with another perfect weekend in Brazil is clearly a handy one at this stage of the season with only three events and 83 points left. He would put himself in a strong position to clinch the crown as early as next week in Qatar if he makes it three in a row.

However, as Norris himself quickly stressed after winning at Interlagos, 24 points is not a truly comfortable margin yet. For example, were Oscar Piastri to return to winning ways in Vegas on Sunday, and Norris fail to score, then the Australian driver would suddenly be back in the lead – by a point – heading to Qatar.

But barring mistakes – which he hasn’t looked like making recently – or misfortune – which he will hope struck him already for the season back in Zandvoort – Norris certainly seems in the form to set himself up for a title shot next week having found what appears to be, as Martin Brundle has described, an “overdrive” mode just when it matters most.

Piastri, by contrast, has found absolutely the worst time in the season to go five races without a podium.

He urgently needs to find a way with the car to get back ahead of Norris this weekend, although at the same time also needs to hope that McLaren are a far more competitive proposition on the Strip Circuit for this year having yet to qualify or finish higher than sixth in two outings so far.

Norris, who doesn’t necessarily even have to win a race or Sprint over the season’s final three weeks to still be champion, will also be hoping for a stronger Vegas weekend as he chases the first victory hat-trick of his F1 career.

Will Verstappen stay in mathematical hunt for at least one more week?

He wrote himself back out of the championship hunt at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but Verstappen does actually still remain in mathematical contention for the drivers’ crown – for now, at least.

The comeback surge that saw Verstappen win races in Monza, Baku and Austin was checked by Norris’ back-to-back response in Mexico and Brazil and, at 49 points back, an even greater and shorter-term recovery is now required for the Red Bull driver to end the season as a five-time world champion.

Still, underlining the respect they clearly hold for Max, neither Norris nor McLaren are writing him completely out of things yet, particularly on the evidence of his comeback drive from the pit lane to the podium at Interlagos.

As for the maths, a top-two finish on Sunday for Verstappen – the 2023’s inaugural winner in Vegas despite his misgivings about that much-hyped first event – would keep him in mathematical contention whatever Norris does.

But the title battle would officially become an all-McLaren two-horse race from Qatar if Norris outscores Verstappen by nine points or more.

What will Leclerc and Hamilton say after Elkann intervention?

Ferrari arrive in Vegas in the unfamiliar confines of fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship and with their 2025 struggles having been thrust into fresh focus by their own chairman, John Elkann.

Elkann, who heads the holding company of Italy’s dynastic Agnelli family who have controlling interests in entities including Ferrari and Juventus, told reporters at an event in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics the day after the F1 team’s double DNF in the Sao Paulo GP, that drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc needed to “focus on driving and talk less”.

He also said that areas of the team outside of the work being done by engineers and mechanics with the car was “not up to standard”, although made clear he did not yet think it out of the question they could reclaim second in the standings from Mercedes over the season’s final rounds.

The Scuderia head to Vegas only four points behind third-placed Red Bull, but 36 adrift of Mercedes, last year’s race winners.

Whether or not stirred by their ultimate Ferrari boss’ apparent public rebuke, Leclerc and Hamilton both subsequently posted messages on social media within hours of Elkann’s comments after Interlagos in which they underlined their commitment to the Scuderia cause.

Thursday’s media day in Vegas will be the first time we hear from the pair in person since Elkann’s surprise intervention.

You can be sure Leclerc and Hamilton, whose last F1 podium came in Las Vegas one year ago when in his final weeks at Mercedes, can certainly be expected to face plenty of questions on the topic from the assembled broadcast and written media.

Formula 1’s thrilling title race continues with the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime