Let's call it a night

As we entered the final furlongs of the F1 season, the drivers' championship was as good as over, but there was still the small matter of the constructors' crown, says Mark Hughes

- Mark Hughes

Into the final three races Ferrari was expecting to be quick in Las Vegas. That long straight down the strip – the second-longest stretch of flat-out running on the calendar after Baku - and the many short sharp corners play very much to the car's strengths.

Given that the Scuderia was in with a realistic chance of taking the world constructors' championship from under McLaren's nose - and the fact that Ferrari did not expect to be quick around the following Qatar race, which in theory was perfect for McLaren - it made it imperative to capitalise.

Few would have guessed back in April after Max Verstappen had won four of the first five races that the constructors' battle would not have involved Red Bull. In fact 2024 had gone on to become a season of unexpected competitive variety after that initial continuation of Red Bull's '23 dominance.

For the first time in history, four teams scored at least one 1-2 race result, and this variation was a key reason that the early lead established by Verstappen in the drivers' championship was never seriously threatened. Because although Lando Norris ended up being the closest challenger, his opportunities for eating into Verstappen's lead were limited by those occasions on which his McLaren was outpaced by either Ferrari or Mercedes. That and a few key errors.

McLaren and Ferrari were fighting out the constructors' title in these final three races because, unlike Red Bull, they both had two fully competitive drivers. Sergio Pérez's support role to Verstappen collapsed completely from around mid-season as he struggled to retain his respectable early season form, something which led to his inevitable departure at the season's end.