Las Vegas Grand Prix: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Max Verstappen's imperious success after a wet weekend in Sao Paulo has taken him to the brink of a fourth F1 world title and he has a chance to clinch the championship in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Three rounds remain in the championship with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to come over the following two weekends, but the world champion holds a 62-point lead after his timely first win in 11 races. It now appears to be a question of when, not if, he is crowned again.

The Dutch driver won the first modern F1 race in Las Vegas last season but this year's running looks set to be competitive with McLaren and Ferrari also looking to hit the jackpot in Sin City.

Las Vegas Grand Prix betting picks and predictions

Charles Leclerc to win (+275)

Ferrari has targeted the Las Vegas race as its best chance of securing a sixth victory of the season as its car appears well suited to the characteristics of the track.

Charles Leclerc could be the driver to deliver it after his strong performance in the inaugural race at the Las Vegas circuit last season and in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year, as the Baku track has a similar layout to the street circuit in Nevada including an extremely long straight.

The Monegasque driver is still in the hunt for second place in the championship and at just 24 points behind Lando Norris, he is much closer to the McLaren man than the British star is to leader Max Verstappen.

Ferrari is also battling McLaren for the constructors championship and trails by only 36 points with three rounds remaining. Red Bull is following closely in third, 13 points behind the Italian team.

Leclerc was the man to beat for most of the weekend in Las Vegas last year, going fastest in the first and second practice sessions before taking pole as Ferrari locked out the front row.

He was unlucky with the timing of a safety-car period in the race and finished second to Verstappen, just two seconds behind, but it was one of only three runner-up finishes in a winless campaign. His car is much more competitive heading into the final flourish of the 2024 season.

Leclerc won his home race in Monaco, his team's home race in Italy and the United States Grand Prix last month and looks set for another strong stateside showing.

Verstappen's success in Brazil was a prime example of his talent shining through in wet conditions but it was his first grand prix success since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

The champion was also particularly poor on the street circuit at Baku, qualifying sixth and finishing fifth, more than a minute behind race winner Oscar Piastri, and the circuit lacks the twisty corners where his car's aerodynamics give him an advantage.

The Red Bull has been much-improved in the last few races but is not the clear top car that it was last season and Verstappen no longer even needs another win as he cruises towards the title.

Oscar Piastri podium finish (+240)

McLaren had a disastrous qualifying session in Las Vegas last year when engineers misjudged track conditions in qualifying and both their cars failed to escape Q1.

Oscar Piastri had made a promising start, going second-fastest in third practice and he made the best of a tough situation in the race, climbing from 18th to 10th place and claiming an extra point for setting the fastest lap.

The Australian has not been able to convert the car's potential into podium finishes in recent rounds but was second in dry conditions in the sprint race in Brazil, giving up the lead to teammate Lando Norris after taking pole.

One of his two grand prix wins this season came in Baku, seen as a key performance indicator for Las Vegas due to its similar layout, and Piastri has value to pick up his eighth podium finish of the season.

McLaren was forced to make changes to its flexible rear wing after that success, but still has solid straight-line speed and should be battling at the front of the pack.

Kevin Magnussen points finish (+110)

The American-owned Haas team is locked in a battle with Alpine and RB for sixth place in the constructors standings and dropped to seventh when Alpine picked up a surprise double podium in the rain in Sao Paulo.

Haas had finished in the points in the previous five rounds of the championship, though, and Danish driver Kevin Magnussen can help his team to resume that sequence on Saturday night.

Magnussen qualified an impressive ninth and started eighth in Las Vegas last year before finishing 13th in a poor car that gained only three points all season but Haas is having a much more successful campaign this time.

Magnussen missed the Baku race due to suspension but his replacement Oliver Bearman steered his car into the points by finishing 10th.

Magnussen was seventh in Mexico City two races ago before missing the Sao Paulo race due to illness but his car's straight-line speed could help him back into the points this weekend. 

Las Vegas Grand Prix outright odds

Lando Norris	+225
Max Verstappen	+240
Charles Leclerc	+275
Carlos Sainz Jr.	+500
Oscar Piastri	+1400
George Russell	+2500
Lewis Hamilton	+2500
Sergio Perez	+10000

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.