For the first time since the famous 58th lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December 2021, Max Verstappen has a chance to leave a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend eliminated from world championship contention.
Verstappen, of course, won the 2021 world championship with a last-lap pass on seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and he hasn't been denied a title since. He dominated in 2022, winning a record 15 races, and he shattered that record in 2023, winning 19.
Even in 2024, when Red Bull placed third in the constructor standings, he won it with nine wins, making him the first world champion in 41 years to compete for a team that did not finish either first or second in the constructor championship.
But McLaren's second-half resurgence from 2024 has carried over into 2025, and it has left the Red Bull man sitting 49 points behind Lando Norris with three Grands Prix, plus a sprint, remaining on this year's calendar. There are 83 points still up for grabs from Saturday night's Las Vegas Grand Prix through the season finale in Abu Dhabi next month.
Max Verstappen faces F1 elimination in Las Vegas
It means that, following Saturday 50-lap race around the 14-turn, 3.8-mile (6.116-kilometer) Las Vegas Strip Circuit temporary street circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada, there will be just 58 points up for grabs throughout the remainder of the season.
Norris can clinch the tiebreaker over Verstappen by winning in Las Vegas, as he has earned seven wins this year; Verstappen has earned five. In fact, he can clinch it if anybody other than Verstappen wins, as he has also earned eight runner-up finishes this year compared to Verstappen's five.
So if Norris outscores Verstappen by nine or more points in Las Vegas to ensure that the gap between the two is at least 58 points heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, the 28-year-old Dutchman would be eliminated.
If Norris wins, Verstappen needs to place second to remain in title contention; the gap would be 56 points. Norris took pole on Friday night, and Verstappen is set to start beside him on the front row.
Of course, a 58-point gap over Verstappen alone would not clinch the world championship for Norris; teammate Oscar Piastri is only 24 points behind him as things stand heading into round 22 of a record-tying 24. At the absolute worst, Piastri could be 49 points behind Norris heading into Qatar.
However, it would eliminate the driver who has won four world championships in a row, and it would ensure a world champion not named Verstappen for the first time since Hamilton won his seventh overall and fourth in a row in 2020.
ESPN's live coverage of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 10:55 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 22. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from the Las Vegas Strip Circuit!