A very early morning if you are in Europe and trying to follow along qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Or perhaps you are up to keep up with day two of the first Ashes Test and are just having a quick look at what is happening 16 time zones earlier on. Either way, welcome.
The 2025 Formula One season has moved into its final triple-header and we will, most likely, get a new world champion. Lando Norris leads his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 24 points with Max Verstappen 49 adrift.
It is impossible that Norris wins the championship this weekend (he can only get to 49 points ahead of Piastri with 58 remaining after this weekend), but it is possible that Verstappen is eliminated from contention. I would not count on that, though.
Back to the two McLaren men. Piastri has seen his 34-point lead after Zandvoort not just disappear rapidly but then start heading in the opposite direction. The Australian who was so calm and impressive in the first half of the season has become error-prone and looks just slower than Norris now. Yet a good chunk of credit needs to go to Norris, who has cut out his own errors and looks like a man on a mission.
What to expect from the third instalment of the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Hard to say really, given the unusual conditions. It is a track where the overall fastest car of the year has rarely shown its true potential so perhaps McLaren may struggle. The truth is that the top four teams are closer than ever at the moment, so get the set-up right, nail the lap and you never know. Mind you, it is not like McLaren had the ideal preparation in qualifying…
That session begins in a little under an hour and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from what could well be a crucial session in Sin City.
