3 drivers to watch closely in the early Las Vegas Grand Prix betting markets

Max Verstappen is the early favourite for the 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix at 13/8 (2.63) after charging from 21st on the grid to second in São Paulo. Lando Norris won at Interlagos but is priced at 11/2, while George Russell’s record on the Strip makes his 6/1 quote worth examining before practice gets underway in Las Vegas.

Verstappen sets the price to beat

Red Bull put both cars on the podium in Brazil, with Isack Hadjar third behind Verstappen. The Dutchman’s recovery showed how much race pace he could use in traffic, but a rain-affected comeback at Interlagos is an imperfect guide to a night race on the Strip.

At 13/8, Verstappen needs to win more than 38.1% of the time for the price to offer value. His Brazil drive explains why he heads the market; practice in Las Vegas will show whether Red Bull has enough of an edge to justify that threshold.

Norris has momentum, but Brazil had its own conditions

Norris converted pole into his third victory of the season, ending a seven-race winless run. He had been available at 14/1 before Friday practice and was still second favourite after qualifying. Rain and grid penalties for several rivals helped reshape the contest, so the result alone tells us little about where McLaren will rank in Las Vegas.

His new price of 11/2 (6.50) implies a 15.4% break-even chance. The key question is whether McLaren can give him the grip to qualify near the front in cooler conditions.

Russell’s Vegas record makes the case at 6/1

Russell won in Las Vegas in 2024 and finished second there in 2025. His São Paulo weekend was harder to read: Mercedes called off his final Q3 attempt, an engine penalty dropped him to seventh on the grid, and he spun at pit exit after switching to slicks. Even so, he showed front-running pace at stages of the race.

At 6/1 (7.00), the break-even mark is 14.3%. Russell has the strongest circuit-specific argument of the longer-priced pair. The first useful test will be whether Mercedes can get its tyres working quickly enough for a single lap once the track cools.