Las Vegas GP 2024: Mercedes Dominates Practice Sessions While Red Bull Struggles

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The 1st and 2nd practice session of Las Vegas GP 2024 ended on a happy note for Mercedes and McLaren but not good for Red Bull Racing.

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap in both practice sessions and was happy with the car alongside his team driver, Gorge Russell, who also finished at the top of the table in both practice sessions.

Only three races are left, including Las Vegas One, for the best every partnership of Driver and Team Principle. Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have been together since their first season in the Mercedes, where they won the 7 Driver Championship.

“There is an emotional side because we’ve been on this journey together,”
“The friendship will change, but not the depth of emotion. On the contrary. This will be a new friendship with Lewis.
“On the professional side, I always see benefits in change. We have new regulations, we have reshaped our organisation and we’re embarking on a new era with our senior driver [George Russell] turning 27 and the junior driver [Kimi Antonelli] being 18. We have two drivers barely older together than Lewis [who is 40 in January]. That’s very exciting.”
“I wasn’t shocked at all. I knew this was happening a few weeks earlier when I got a phone call from Carlos Sainz [who has lost his seat at Ferrari to Hamilton] and his father. He said: ‘Something is cooking.’ I said: ‘Why would that happen before the start of the season?’
“But that same afternoon I received calls from a few other drivers that were close to Charles Leclerc [who remains at Ferrari]. Fernando Alonso too. I think it started from Leclerc knowing over the winter and then his closest allies hearing there was a seat free [at Mercedes]. I said to Susie: ‘This is happening without us officially knowing.’
“I did not want to put him in a situation where he had to lie to me because at that stage the contract wasn’t signed.”
Said Toto Wolf

First Practice Las Vegas GP Result

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time	Gap	Laps
1	44	Hamilton	Mercedes	1:35.001		26
2	63	Russell	Mercedes	1:35.397	+0.396s	29
3	4	Norris	McLaren Mercedes	1:35.954	+0.953s	27
4	16	Leclerc	Ferrari	1:36.007	+1.006s	27
5	1	Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:36.038	+1.037s	25
6	55	Sainz	Ferrari	1:36.218	+1.217s	26
7	14	Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:36.262	+1.261s	25
8	81	Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	1:36.451	+1.450s	26
9	10	Gasly	Alpine Renault	1:36.478	+1.477s	24
10	11	Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:36.536	+1.535s	25
11	20	Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	1:36.811	+1.810s	24
12	18	Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:36.817	+1.816s	25
13	23	Albon	Williams Mercedes	1:36.948	+1.947s	26
14	31	Ocon	Alpine Renault	1:37.152	+2.151s	25
15	27	Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	1:37.200	+2.199s	24
16	77	Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:37.765	+2.764s	25
17	43	Colapinto	Williams Mercedes	1:38.025	+3.024s	28
18	24	Zhou	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:38.350	+3.349s	23
19	22	Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	1:38.574	+3.573s	23
20	30	Lawson	RB Honda RBPT	1:38.730	+3.729s	28

Table Credit: @F1

The first practice session was all about Merces finishing 1st and 2nd with the fastest lap time, and after that, it was Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. The Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Honda team struggled to get a great time.

Second Practice Result of F1 Las Vegas GP

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Time	Gap	Laps
1	44	Hamilton	Mercedes	1:33.825		25
2	4	Norris	McLaren Mercedes	1:33.836	+0.011s	25
3	63	Russell	Mercedes	1:34.015	+0.190s	29
4	55	Sainz	Ferrari	1:34.105	+0.280s	29
5	16	Leclerc	Ferrari	1:34.313	+0.488s	29
6	10	Gasly	Alpine Renault	1:34.651	+0.826s	30
7	20	Magnussen	Haas Ferrari	1:34.686	+0.861s	20
8	81	Piastri	McLaren Mercedes	1:34.798	+0.973s	26
9	27	Hulkenberg	Haas Ferrari	1:34.818	+0.993s	24
10	22	Tsunoda	RB Honda RBPT	1:34.997	+1.172s	23
11	77	Bottas	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:35.020	+1.195s	28
12	31	Ocon	Alpine Renault	1:35.221	+1.396s	26
13	18	Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:35.251	+1.426s	27
14	14	Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes	1:35.440	+1.615s	25
15	30	Lawson	RB Honda RBPT	1:35.671	+1.846s	24
16	24	Zhou	Kick Sauber Ferrari	1:35.765	+1.940s	28
17	1	Verstappen	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:35.834	+2.009s	25
18	43	Colapinto	Williams Mercedes	1:35.868	+2.043s	30
19	11	Perez	Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT	1:36.055	+2.230s	25
20	23	Albon	Williams Mercedes	1:39.629	+5.804s	4

Table Credit: F1

Tomorrow will be an exciting day, and right now, it seems that Mercedes might stay at the top of the table, but if Red Bull Racing could turn around and Max Verstappen can be in the Top 3, then it will be quite sure that he might win the fourth World Driver Championship.