In a weekend expected to feature a showdown between McLaren and Ferrari (with Max Verstappen naturally playing a starring role), it was Mercedes that stole the spotlight. The 2024 season continues to deliver unpredictable surprises, and no one could have foreseen such a dominant performance by the Silver Arrows. Throughout free practice, qualifying, and the race, a Mercedes was consistently at the top.
Toto Wolff had reiterated endlessly, “Our car has a very narrow operating window,” and that window was perfectly aligned during the Las Vegas weekend. The low grip of the asphalt and the cold temperatures granted Russell and Hamilton near-total immunity from the weekend’s biggest challenge: graining, which plagued all other teams.
The W15 suddenly freed itself from the burden that had weighed it down for most of 2024—overheating rear tires. “When traction is good, we’re in a completely different world,” commented George Russell, and indeed, the Mercedes in Las Vegas seemed to be in a league of its own. The pole-sitter and race dominator opened up a significant gap during the first stint, when the track had low grip. In this phase, he built a ten-second lead over Verstappen, a cushion that allowed George Russell to manage the race after switching to hard tires.
On paper, George Russell could have completed the race with a single stop, but given his excellent performance in the first stint, there was no reason to take risks. George was in a position to respond to his rivals’ strategies, safeguarding against a potential safety car, and the engineers quickly decided to switch to a two-stop strategy. There was never any real threat to Mercedes losing their fourth win of the season. “We were very fast at Silverstone, Spa, and here in Las Vegas,” Toto Wolff explained. “What do these tracks have in common? I think only the temperatures. When they’re low, we have good traction; as soon as they rise, we start to struggle with the rear end.”
The true strength of Mercedes in Las Vegas was showcased through Hamilton’s race. While George Russell enjoyed the luxury of clean air without needing to engage in any battles, Lewis had to fight his way up from tenth, spending much of the race in the slipstream of other cars. He recovered four positions with overtakes (including on Norris and Verstappen) and executed two undercuts on the Ferraris. In the final stint, he launched an impressive charge, closing almost ten seconds on George Russell. However, Hamilton conceded defeat with four laps remaining after a lock-up signaled the end of his tire life.
Finishing second exceeded even Mercedes’ expectations but fueled Lewis Hamilton’s regrets over mistakes made in Q3. Victory had been within his reach. “The strategy with Lewis worked very well,” Wolff said, “and his driving was outstanding. Starting tenth and finishing so close to George showed just how incredible his race was.”
George Russell reclaimed the victory he had lost at Spa following technical inspections (where his car was found to be 1.5 kilograms underweight) and extended his lead over Hamilton in the standings to nine points. While these aren’t the achievements he dreamed of chasing when he joined Mercedes in 2022, finishing the season ahead of Lewis would be a strong statement, especially for a team that will see him as its lead driver starting next year.
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