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How Max Verstappen could clinch the world championship at Las Vegas GP
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could hit the jackpot Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen has a shot at clinching his fourth consecutive Formula 1 drivers’ championship to join all-time greats Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton among those who have accomplished the feat.
That will also set the stage for Verstappen to pursue a “drive for five” next season and attempt to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of five straight titles.
McLaren’s Lando Norris is the only other driver remaining in the championship chase. Norris will need to go all-in to stay in the race, pun intended, as Verstappen holds a comfortable 62-point lead in the standings.
The cards are in Verstappen’s hands. Here’s how the title could be decided in Vegas:
Verstappen finishes ahead of Norris
The least complicated scenario for Verstappen is to outright win the race — easier said than done, of course — but he doesn’t even need to do that. Just finishing ahead of Norris will be good enough to secure the title.
Verstappen won in Las Vegas last year although it wasn’t the cleanest of victories. He forced pole-sitter Charles Leclerc off of the track at the first turn on the opening lap and was handed a five-second penalty. Verstappen was also involved in a collision with George Russell, although the Mercedes driver was at fault for that one.
The Dutch driver is coming off a huge win earlier this month as he snapped his 10-race winless drought during a rainy and wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix. It was a brilliant performance from Verstappen, who started 17th on the grid due to an engine penalty but charged through the field and took advantage of a red flag to score a free pit stop for fresh tires.
Whether it was skill or luck, or a bit of both, we definitely will not see a repeat of those conditions in the desert of Las Vegas. The odds of that happening are about as likely as a double podium for Alpine. Oh, wait.
Norris fails to outscore Verstappen by at least three points
Even if Verstappen finishes behind Norris, he could still lock down the championship if there’s less than a three-point margin.
One example: Norris could finish third (15 points), but if Verstappen comes in fourth and earns the fastest lap bonus point (13 points) he’s still golden.
Should Verstappen retire from the race or end up out of the points, Norris would have to finish in at least eighth place or come in ninth and set the fastest lap to earn enough points.
Norris will likely have to place much higher though. Outside of his DNF at the Australian GP in March, Verstappen has finished no worse than sixth this season.
Norris retires from the race
The anti-climactic scenario but one we have to consider. If Norris DNFs, then it’s over before the checkered flag even drops.
Could it happen? Well, Norris lost control of his car and crashed out on the third lap of last year’s Las Vegas GP, so it’s a possibility.
Norris has only finished out of the points once this season when he collided with Verstappen during the Austrian GP.
What if Norris manages to outscore Verstappen by three or more points?
There is reason to believe Norris could keep his title bid alive for at least another week. During Verstappen’s 10-race winless skid, Norris outscored him by at least three points on six occasions.
Time is running out though. After Vegas, only two races and a sprint remain on the calendar with a maximum of 60 points available.
The best-case scenario for Norris is if he wins Vegas and sets the fastest lap while Verstappen finishes out of the top 10. That will cut the deficit down to 36 points heading into Qatar.
If the drivers’ championship is decided early, there’s still the constructors’ title to fight over. McLaren enters Las Vegas with a 36-point lead over Ferrari while Red Bull is 49 points back in third place.
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Logan Thompson building strong case for Team Canada ‘dream’ at 4 Nations
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are dark horses.
There are long shots.
And then there is Logan Thompson, a goaltender of no pedigree swiftly building his case to represent his country in best-on-best hockey.
Not only was Thompson passed over in the NHL Draft after four seasons in the WHL, his first taste of pro hockey arrived only after a full season at Brock University, when he made good on an amateur tryout with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.
The Calgary native got struck from the Thunder’s roster after eight appearances.
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He then inked a Professional Try-Out with the Binghamton Devils only to get dropped after allowing five goals in his AHL debut.
His first legit pro contract, with the AHL Hershey Bears in 2019-20, did result in a full season’s worth of paid work — down in the ECHL, where he rode the South Carolina Stingrays’ bus.
From these humble beginnings has sprung an All-Star Game representative, a Stanley Cup champion, a guy confident enough to request a trade away from a contender, and — surprise — a candidate for Canada’s crease.
“I thought making the NHL was really farfetched for me. And now hearing my name involved with Team Canada, I never really thought that was ever going to be a thing. So, I’m just happy to be in that discussion. I guess we’ll see,” the upbeat Thompson said in a recent sit-down with Sportsnet.ca.
“Every kid dreams about representing his country. And I’d be happy to be there at any role they’d want me to be. Whether that’s practice goalie, backup, or playing games, I would just be very honoured.”
Think about it, Don Sweeney. Your 4 Nations Face-Off roster is due two weeks from today.
Thompson, who did win a silver medal with Canada at the 2022 world hockey championship, is off to the best start of any goalie in the 50-year history of the Washington Capitals.
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With his emotional, 40-save starring role in Sunday’s victorious return to Vegas, Thompson (8-0-1) is the only NHL goalie with five or more starts undefeated regulation, and a major reason for the Caps’ third-place-overall standing Monday morning.
Among Canadian goalies with winning records, only veteran Cam Talbot in Detroit (.927) has a better save percentage than Thompson’s .913.
“I’m just having a lot of fun. It’s good to get here — a fresh start. Everyone accepted me with welcome arms, and I’m just having fun playing hockey and just loving the game. That’s the biggest thing. There hasn’t really been a bad day or a day when I don’t want to come to the rink. You come here, and we’re a big family,” Thompson said.
The 27-year-old thinks back to the one NHL draft he did attend, in June 2024.
Ironically, Thompson was signing autographs for Golden Knights fans inside Sphere in Las Vegas when he learned that he’d been dealt to Washington for a couple of third-round picks.
“It was difficult. I mean, I did ask to be traded,” Thompson explains.
“But at the same time, me and Kelly McCrimmon did have a really good relationship for many years. I was there for a while, and I expressed that I wanted a bigger role, and they just expressed that they had Adin Hill. He was their future goalie moving forward, and that was it. I was a little disappointed and not as upset to ask for a trade, but I think it was the best thing for me and my career.”
If there is a chip on Thompson’s shoulder, he is channeling it the best way possible — with a smile on his face. He has snatched the 1A designation from partner Charlie Lindgren and delivered under pressure.
Coach Spencer Carbery tapped Thompson for both of Washington’s grudge matches with Vegas this season, and the goalie stopped 64 of 68 shots in a pair of W’s.
“He was outstanding. Just proud of him for the way that he battled tonight,” Carbery told reporters in Vegas, following Sunday’s 5-2 win. “Just happy for him and proud of him to beat his former team twice.”
When we caught up with Thompson inside the Capitals dressing room, he looked around at the nameplates and saw leadership from the veteran core and kinship with new teammates who, like him, have been passed over or traded by teams that did see them as integral to success.
Pierre-Luc Dubois. Jakob Chychrun. Andrew Mangiapane. Jakub Vrana. Brandon Duhaime. Rasmus Sandin. Sonny Milano. Dylan Strome. Matt Roy. Lars Eller.
There’s a raft of imports from around the league. Guys who have bounced around and now must band together quickly. (Not so unlike the original Golden Knights, hey.)
“I think the guys that the team brought in were a bunch of guys hungry for a second opportunity. A lot of the guys they brought in are guys that still have something to prove,” said Thompson, who wants to make your pre-season predictions look foolish.
“From the noise around the media — you try to stay off it — I think everyone was doubting us. And I think that fuelled a lot of us too. It’s nice when everyone’s rooting against you, and you come out with a start like this. It’s definitely encouraging and definitely gets the confidence going in this room.
“Look around at the names. For me as a goalie, I saw it in training camp. You’re sitting here like, ‘We’re a good team. We have some elite talent here.’ And I knew that we were gonna surprise everyone. I didn’t know we’d be off to this good of a start, but I’m also not surprised.”
Just as we shouldn’t be surprised if Logan Thompson gets named to Team Canada.
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Monday Matchmaker: Two blockbuster matchups could emerge from UFC 309
Sometimes, the next step is both obvious and unassured.
In the wake of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the way forward for heavyweight champion Jon Jones is apparent to everyone, but that doesn’t guarantee we’re going to get the fight everyone wants to see.
Over the weekend, Jones did what most anticipated, retaining his title with a third-round stoppage win over returning two-time champ Stipe Miocic, ostensibly ending the fight with a spinning back kick to the midsection that sounded gnarly in real time and likely felt even worse before the academic follow-up blows officially brought the night to a halt.
Jones looked dominant.
Long, quick, and diverse in his attacks, he rifled Miocic to the canvas with a powerful trip early in the first and spent the remainder of the frame punishing him from top position, crashing home elbows not only meant to inflict damage, but also show the 42-year-old challenger that he was completely outgunned.
In the second, Jones was content to stand, happy to throw hands with the Ohio native, trusting his ability to roll with and counter the best shots Miocic could muster. He did the same for much of the third round before driving his left heel into his opponent’s ribs, instantly sending Miocic crashing to the canvas in agony.
While Miocic was decisive regarding what comes next — “I’m done. I’m hangin’em up. I’m retiring. Thank God.” — Jones was less direct when asked about what comes next for him.
The champion, who has been pushing back against a fight with interim titleholder Tom Aspinall for some time while floating the idea of a bout with light heavyweight ruler Alex Pereira, said he wanted to sit down with the UFC brass to see what they had in mind, acknowledging that he might be convinced to stick around a little longer, which could potentially result in everyone getting a heavyweight unification bout.
At his media availability following the event, Jones stated he was seeking “(Bleep) You Money” in order to fight Aspinall, whom he personally finds annoying, and this is where things get complicated.
A fight with Aspinall is without question the next fight to make, for an abundance of reasons, the most obvious is he’s the interim champion and finding out who is the undisputed top heavyweight in the UFC at the moment is something everyone — save for perhaps Jones — wants.
Stylistically, it’s fascinating as well, as the British standout brings a different level of athleticism and well-roundedness to the Octagon than either of the two men Jones has bested during his brief run at heavyweight.
Against Ciryl Gane, he was able to easily wrestle the Frenchman to the canvas and exploit his deficiencies on the ground, securing the fight-ending choke in a touch over two minutes. On Saturday, he beat a 42-year-old man that hadn’t fought in well over three years who looked the part.
That’s not said to take anything away from Jones’s performance — he was dialed in and dangerous from the jump and breezed through Miocic — but rather to make it clear that Aspinall is an entirely different type of problem to deal with. He’s big, strong, fast, and has a diverse skill set of his own, with clear power in his hands and a wealth of skills on the canvas should the fight ever get there.
Ironically, the biggest reason Jones should actually want the fight — in my opinion, of course — is the one reason he’s been giving for why he has little interest in facing the interim champion.
Jones has been framing a win over Aspinall as doing nothing for his legacy, which is the one thing he values above all else. In his eyes, taking out the 31-year-old who earned gold in his stead and doesn’t have a Hall of Fame resume at the moment doesn’t add much to the incredible list of accomplishments he’s amassed over the course of his 16-year UFC career.
At the start of last week, I made the same argument my colleague here at Sportsnet, Aaron Bronsteter made Saturday evening, suggesting a win over Aspinall does a great deal to further bolster Jones’s legacy because he’d be taking out the leader of the next generation of talents, and someone many believe is capable of beating him.
While Jones sees beating a two-division champ like Alex Pereira as a greater achievement, it’s also a more favourable style matchup, at least on paper, as he could — in theory — wrestle “Poatan” to the canvas and dominate him there; easier said than done, sure, but we are talking about the greatest talent to ever grace the Octagon here.
UFC CEO Dana White recognized this on Saturday night and poured water on the notion of Jones and Pereira facing one another, backtracking enough to leave the window of opportunity to make that fight happen slightly ajar for the time being.
But Aspinall? There’s no clear and obvious route to victory for Jones; at least not in the way that there was against Gane, there was against Miocic, and there appears to be against Pereira.
It’s a dangerous fight, and one that everyone wants to see.
Now we just have to wait and see if Jones wants it enough to forego that “(Bleep) You Money” in favour of further bolstering his legacy and giving the fans what they want most.
OLIVEIRA IN TITLE QUEUE, BMF TITLE FIGHT AVAILABLE
Charles Oliveira could very well be in a position to sit tight and wait for the opportunity to face the winner of the anticipated lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan that is likely to happen in the first quarter of 2025.
At age 35 and coming off a largely dominant effort against Michael Chandler, the Brazilian has done all he needs to do in order to station himself as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division, and his history with both champion and challenger make a bout with either appealing.
But that’s only when you look at it from the Oliveira side of things, and there are no guarantees that either man will be all that keen on running it back with the dangerous former titleholder. Makhachev was ready to give Oliveira a rematch last year, but that ship may have sailed and selling Tsarukyan on fighting him for a second time in a little over a year, this time with the title on the line should he beat Makhachev, might be challenging.
That’s where a potential matchup with Max Holloway for the BMF Title feels like a possibility worth exploring.
While they too have history, their initial encounter took place years ago, and a rematch now with the BMF Title and a lightweight championship opportunity hanging in the balance could be one way to inject further intrigue and excitement into the divisional title chase.
OTHER POST-309 PAIRINGS WORTH CONSIDERING
Bo Nickal improved to 7-0 and his win over Paul Craig was viewed as a measuring stick moment for the collegiate wrestling standout. Although he got the victory, the fight showed he’s not quite ready to be dropped into a top-15 matchup.
That’s not a bad thing, either.
Nickal is only seven fights into his career, and while the expectation is that he becomes a contender, he’s clearly not there yet. His striking is still a work in progress and he simply needs more reps, so slowing things down in the wake of his UFC 309 win would likely be better for him long term.
Beating Craig is still a solid accomplishment, especially given that there was zero wrestling involved, so what about a fight with someone a little more aggressive on the feet, like Gregory Rodrigues? “Robocop” has won three straight and five of his last six, has considerable power in his hands, and is strong on the ground, though he rarely looks to grapple.
It’s another solid test for Nickal and the kind of bout that would likely answer more questions about the Penn State alum.
Viviane Araujo halted Karine Silva’s unbeaten run inside the Octagon, outworking her compatriot over three rounds to get herself back into the win column and lockdown her place in the top 10 heading towards the end of the year.
As much as she wants to fight forward, the reality of the division and her recent results make her an ideal fighter to continue to occupy the gatekeeper role she’s held for the last year and change, which means another fight with an ascending flyweight hopeful, and there is an obvious choice available.
Araujo was booked to face streaking Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius earlier this year in Denver before having to withdraw. Jasudavicius stayed on the card, beat Fatime Kline, and has since added another win over Ariane da Silva to extend her winning streak to three. On Saturday night, the Niagara Top Team standout posted a facepalm emoji following the contest, voicing her thoughts on the fight with a single click of a button.
Re-booking Araujo and the ascending Canadian makes a great deal of sense given the current complexion of the division and how things have been going for each fighter as of late.
And lastly, since Jim Miller picked up another win and floated the idea of getting to 50 UFC fights before calling it a career — he’s now at 45 after his submission of Damon Jackson — let’s figure out what comes next for the Sparta, N.J., native.
The smart thing Miller and UFC have done over the last five years or so is largely keep him away from established contenders and dynamite emerging talents, which has resulted in the 41-year-old going 10-5 during that time. Sticking to that approach, a bout with Chase Hooper, should he get by Clay Guida next month at UFC 310, feels like a reasonable pairing for both sides.
Hooper is 3-0 since moving to lightweight, with slick finishes in each of his last two outings, and if he can get by one tenured veteran, a date with another in 2025 Q1 would give him a chance to keep moving forward. As for Miller, it’s a matchup with someone that isn’t going to storm through him with power or athleticism, and would therefore be a winnable fight against a surging talent that could elevate him into a slightly higher profile pairing as he works towards 50 UFC appearances.
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