James Hinchcliffe says ‘unstoppable’ driver produced the best race of his career at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was not the most exciting of races in 2024, but it did see some standout performances.

The main takeaway from the race in Nevada was that Max Verstappen officially secured his fourth consecutive championship, having put the title almost out of reach at the previous race in Sao Paulo with his stunning win from 17th.

Verstappen may not have had the pace to match those at the front – as has been the case for much of this season – but the Red Bull driver did what was required and came home to finish fifth in a solid drive, beating rival Lando Norris to seal his fourth title.

But another talking point was the dominance shown by Mercedes, who came seemingly out of nowhere to command the Las Vegas Grand Prix from start to finish.

The Silver Arrows were on the pace all weekend as Lewis Hamilton topped both of Friday’s practice sessions, while teammate George Russell set the benchmark in FP3.

The latter carried his momentum into qualifying as he took the fourth pole position of his career by just under a tenth of a second to Carlos Sainz, while Hamilton struggled down in 10th.

James Hinchcliffe says George Russell produced the best race of his career at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

In the race, Russell defended an early charge from Charles Leclerc as he jumped from fourth to second at the first corner. The Monegasque driver’s assault destroyed his tyres, which Ferrari pointed out to Leclerc after the race as he expressed his frustrations with finishing fourth.

From that point on, the Mercedes driver was in complete control as he came home for his third career win. Hamilton capped off a sensational weekend as he climbed through the field to finish second, giving the team their first one-two since Russell’s maiden F1 win at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

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But of his victories in F1, James Hinchcliffe thinks the ‘unstoppable’ Russell’s Las Vegas performance was his best yet.

The Canadian wrote in his column for the F1 website: “With low temperatures and a smooth circuit, it looked on paper to be somewhere that the team could excel, and excel they did leading every practice session, qualifying on pole and securing a 1-2 in the race.

“Russell’s drive was superb all night, having started from P1 after a bold call from the cockpit to be last on track at a place where a yellow or red flag could easily have scuppered his final run.

“He got a great launch and defended perfectly from Charles Leclerc’s early attack – one which destroyed the Monegasque’s tyres. With the way you warm up the rubber having such a big effect on their subsequent performance, Russell’s control and restraint in fending off Leclerc’s challenge without pushing the tyres too hard was incredibly impressive.”

Martin Brundle felt sorry for George Russell after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Russell drove a sensational race at Las Vegas to claim Mercedes’ fourth win in an incredibly inconsistent season.

The Silver Arrows have not had the pace to match the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull throughout the year. The team are now guaranteed to finish fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

But the W15 has shown some glimpses of performance this season – Las Vegas being a prime example as no one on track could get close to challenging Russell.

However, the Brit’s result was overshadowed by the fact that Verstappen had become a four-time world champion. Martin Brundle felt sorry for Russell as his outstanding performance came on the same weekend as the Dutchman clinched the title.

The 26-year-old has had a few standout displays in his career that have gone unrecognised compared to other drivers. Many people view Russell as F1’s most underrated driver as he is set to lead the team forward in 2025 after Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari.