Lewis Hamilton admits he wanted to leave Mercedes in the immediate aftermath of a heated Brazilian Grand Prix.

Seven times F1 world champion Hamilton, who leaves Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the season, finished 10th in Sao Paulo and endured a disastrous weekend despite his favorable wet conditions.

On his team radio immediately after the race, the 39-year-old mysteriously hinted that Interlagos could be his last race for the team and, speaking ahead of the weekend Las Vegas Grand PrixHamilton insists his reaction was only “natural”.

“Life doesn’t always go as planned, and adversity can be hard to face,” Schumacher wrote on Instagram.

“But every challenge is a chance to learn, grow and come back even stronger. This is just a chapter, not the whole story.

“The journey continues, and I am determined to rise above it. Thank you for your support, it means the world.’

Schumacher has yet to be confirmed as Mercedes reserve again next year as he assesses his next steps.

3. Red Bull Racing – 544 points

5. Aston Martin – 86 points

There are now just 86 points available over the next three races in Vegas, Qatar (including the final sprint race of the season) and Abu Dhabi.

At the end of the weekend in Vegas, there will only be 60 points left up for grabs.

That means it if Verstappen simply finishes above Norris in Vegaswill he be crowned champion in 2024.

The Dutchman would also seal the title again both drivers fail to score a point.

Verstappen will also win the 2024 title again Norris does not outscore the Red Bull driver by more than two points.

As a result, Verstappen will become world champion in Sin City if:

• If Norris is second and he finishes third with the fastest lap
• If Norris is third and he finishes fourth with the fastest lap
• If Norris gets fourth without the fastest lap and he finishes fifth
• If Norris finishes fifth without the fastest lap and he finishes sixth
• If Norris finishes sixth without the fastest lap and he finishes seventh
• If Norris finishes seventh without the fastest lap and he finishes eighth
• If Norris is eighth without the fastest lap and he finishes ninth
• If Norris is ninth without the fastest lap or lower, regardless of where he finishes

Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda was questioned by US border control officials before he was allowed into the US ahead of the weekend Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Japanese driver Tsunoda, who has competed in F1 since 2021, says he traveled with his physical therapist but went through immigration on his own.

The 24-year-old was then interrogated for several hours, despite having the correct paperwork, before he was allowed to enter the country. Tsunoda had flown in ahead of his RB team for a promotional event.

1. Max Verstappen – 393 points

2. Lando Norris – 331 points

3. Charles Leclerc – 307 points

4. Oscar Piastri – 262 points

5. Carlos Sainz – 244 points

6. George Russell – 192 points

7. Lewis Hamilton – 190 points

8. Sergio Perez – 151 points

9. Fernando Alonso – 62 points

10. Nico Hulkenberg – 31 points

11. Yuki Tsunoda – 28 points

12. Pierre Gasly – 26 points

13. Lance Stroll – 24 points

14. Esteban Ocon – 23 points

15. Kevin Magnussen – 14 points

16. Alex Albon – 12 points

17. Daniel Ricciardo – 12 points

18. Ollie Bearman – 7 points

19. Franco Colapinto – 5 points

20. Liam Lawson – 4 points

21. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points

22. Logan Sargeant – 0 points

23. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points

As fans trudged away from their expensively purchased seats on night one of 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prixhaving seen just eight minutes of cars on the track before “well gate”a question arose: how could the sport recover for this?

But beyond all the fanfare that inevitably accompanied Formula 1’s lavish return to Sin City last year, what actually saved the opening event was Saturday night’s race itself. We had overtakes – 82 in fact, the most of any track in its debut Grand Prix – we had safety cars and we had last-lap drama. For a sport that veers all too obviously in the direction of spectacle at times, it was a refreshing nod to the drama that on-court action can deliver.

Norris saw his title hopes crumble at the last race in Brazil as Verstappen produced one of his best ever drives to take victory from 17th on the grid in wet conditions.

With 62 points separating the pair with three races remaining, Red Bull’s Verstappen will win his fourth straight F1 title if he finishes ahead of McLaren’s Norris at this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“We have to try to find something to try to turn the situation around, but we’re not that far (away),” Leclerc said.

“All in all, I think we’re very strong in race pace, a little less so in qualifying. It’s been a bit of a story of our season but it’s better that way than the other way around.

“I think we have some ideas of what to do to try and improve it, but then it’s a trade-off of how good you want to be in the race compared to qualifying and we have to find the right compromise.”