Australia Verstappen looking to hit the jackpot in Vegas with a fourth F1 title up for grabs

Max Verstappen gets his first chance to etch his name into Formula 1's history books and secure a fourth drivers' championship this afternoon.

Verstappen starts Sunday's (AEDT) Las Vegas Grand Prix from fifth, with championship rival Lando Norris needing to score three more championship points than the Dutchman just to keep the fight alive to next weekend's race in Qatar.

Norris will start alongside Verstappen on the third row of the grid, while Mercedes driver George Russell will lead the field from pole position.

Verstappen has been wrestling his Red Bull around the streets of Las Vegas all weekend, looking well off the pace of the Mercedes, McLarens and Ferraris.

While his teammate failed to get out of Q1 during Saturday's qualifying, Verstappen drove the wheels of the Red Bull to get it fifth on the grid.

Knowing his car has not been as quick as his rivals, Verstappen is hoping things go his way in Vegas to secure the championship.

"I mean we're just a bit too slow, we have been struggling to get the tyres to work over a lap, and we are too slow on the straights as well, especially in qualifying," Verstappen said after qualifying on Saturday.

"It's a bit of a question mark, how the tyres are going to behave for us, because for me at least, on my side, both of my long runs were not particularly great. I hope tomorrow is going to be a little bit better, but we'll see."

Verstappen enters the third-last race weekend of the year with a 62-point lead on McLaren's Lando Norris.

There is a maximum of 86 points a driver can still win this season.

To achieve all 86 points, a driver would need to win all three grands prix, with the fastest laps and the sprint race.

Only four drivers have ever won the Formula 1 drivers' championship in four consecutive seasons — Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Juan Manuel Fangio.

That quartet are also the only drivers with four or more championships.