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• Mercedes' luck turns in Las Vegas one-two

  George Russell was relieved to see Mercedes' luck turn as the Silver Arrows clinched a stunning one-two at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.

  Russell held off challenges from Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, as well as team-mate Lewis Hamilton, to triumph from pole in Sin City.

  He led for 49 of the 50 laps as he sealed his third victory in F1. Only at Sao Paulo in 2022 (66) and Sakhir in 2020 (59) has he led for more laps at a single grand prix.

  Russell started at the front of the grid for the third time in 2024, having previously failed to convert poles in Canada and at Silverstone into victories.

  Mercedes endured a difficult outing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last time out as Russell finished fourth and Hamilton 10th, and they were delighted to rediscover their consistency in Nevada. 

  "It's going to be a good party, I was planning on flying in a couple of hours but I'm definitely not getting on that flight. I’m going to enjoy this evening with all my team," Russell said.

  "It's been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we've been so quick but I'm just riding this wave right now.

  "To get the victory here, pole position and a dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well, we couldn't have chosen a better place to make this happen.

  "I was just waiting for something to happen. The two races I've been on pole before it’s always been chaos, rain, dry, always something happening, last race in Brazil with the red flag... there is always something happening. Luck has turned and I'm so happy right now."

  Hamilton, meanwhile, took the opportunity to congratulate his great rival Max Verstappen after the Red Bull driver sealed his fourth world championship by finishing ahead of Lando Norris.

  "Firstly, congrats to Max winning the championship, still with several races to go," the seven-time world champion, who will join Ferrari for 2025, said. 

  "If I'd done my job yesterday it would have been a breeze today. But it's okay, I had fun coming from 10th and the team did a fantastic job.

  "We don't know why we were quick this weekend but that's the best the car has ever felt. So I'm grateful to be a part of getting to that point. 

  "If the car drives like that in the next couple of races, then I think we'll be in a good spot to challenge the guys up front. The championship's done, so now it’s just all out, fight for the best positions possible."

• Verstappen seals fourth straight Formula One world title

  Max Verstappen secured his fourth straight Formula One world title with a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was won by George Russell.

  Verstappen merely needed to finish ahead of his sole title rival Lando Norris in order to get over the line in the Driver's Championship on Saturday.

  And as Russell won from pole after fending off a challenge from the Ferraris and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen ensured the crown as he finished fifth, one place ahead of McLaren's Norris, who is now 63 points behind the Dutchman with only 60 points left to race for.

  The Red Bull star is now behind only Hamilton (seven), Michael Schumacher (seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) when it comes to world titles.

  Mercedes will celebrate an unexpected one-two, and Russell was largely in control throughout the race as he scooped a third win of his career.

  He shrugged off an early effort from Charles Leclerc, who darted beyond Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz around the first two corners.

  But as the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz battled between themselves, and with Verstappen unwilling to take too many risks, Hamilton charged up through the grid, utilising a well-timed second pit stop to get ahead.

  After pitting, Sainz and Leclerc got themselves back ahead of Verstappen in the final 10 laps, ensuring Ferrari closed the gap on McLaren in the Constructors' Championship to just 24 points.

  There was some late joy for McLaren as Norris stopped for fresh tyres in order to set the fastest lap, and an extra point in a constructors' title race that is firmly in the balance with two races to go.

  Data Debrief: Four in a row

  Verstappen is just the fifth driver in F1 history to win four consecutive world titles.

  The last to do so was Hamilton between 2017 and 2020, a run that was ultimately ended by Verstappen in 2021. 

  Sebastian Vettel (2010-13) and Fangio (1954-57) are the other drivers to have reeled off four straight championship wins, while Schumacher won five on the spin between 2000 and 2004.

  Verstappen has now moved onto 2,989.5 points over the course of his career, meaning his next target is to break the 3,000-point barrier, something only Hamilton and Vettel have previously achieved.

  Red Bull's chances in the Constructors' Championship seem slim, but if they can set a fastest lap in the final two races of the season, they will become the fifth team to hit the 100 mark, after Ferrari (263), McLaren (171), Williams (133) and Mercedes (109).

  Top 10

  1. George Russell (Mercedes)

  2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

  3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

  4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

  5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 

  6. Lando Norris (McLaren)

  7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

  8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

  9. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

  10. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

  CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

  Drivers'

  1. Max Verstappen - 403

  2. Lando Norris - 340

  3. Charles Leclerc - 319

  Constructors'

  1. McLaren - 608

  2. Ferrari - 584

  3. Red Bull - 555

• Russell revels in 'surprise' pole position for Las Vegas Grand Prix

  George Russell "put it all on the table" to surge to a surprise pole position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with an impressive qualifying display. 

  After Mercedes had topped all three practice sessions on Friday, Russell was able to convert his team's electric practice pace into a fourth career pole. 

  The Briton finished 0.098 seconds ahead of the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly built on his podium at Interlagos last time out by finishing third, with Charles Leclerc starting in fourth. 

  While it was Russell’s out-going Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton who swept Thursday’s free practice sessions, the seven-time world champion could only manage 10th. 

  Asked if pole was expected coming into the weekend, Russell replied: “Honestly, absolutely not. It feels incredible to be back on pole.

  “We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what happened before then.

  "I'm just so happy, and we've got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend, because it was a real surprise!”

  "Ultimately, you’ve got to put it on the table sometimes. I felt confident in myself – I knew if I did a clean lap, it would be enough to secure a front row, so to get pole position is incredible," Russell said. 

  "Ultimately, we’ve had a few good qualifying recently – we need to convert that into a win now."

  Max Verstappen will share the third row of the grid with his sole remaining opponent for the title, Lando Norris, after qualifying fifth. 

  The Dutchman knows that he must finish ahead of the Briton's McLaren to claim a fourth consecutive world title, putting him level with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.

  However, Verstappen believes that Red Bull are "just a bit too slow" after struggling for one-lap performance throughout the course of the weekend's action. 

  "We have been struggling to get the tyres to work over a lap, and we are slow on the straights as well, especially in qualifying," Verstappen said. 

  "You can see our rear wing, it’s trimmed down quite a lot, around the DRS flap, so when we open DRS we don’t get the gains like others do, so that makes it a bit more complicated around here.

  “But that’s our own fault. We know that, that's a compromise we have, but nevertheless, I tried to do the best I could.

  "It was quite close for P3, little details that could have been a bit better maybe, but overall I'm happy with the laps, was not much more in it."