The glitzy return of Formula 1 to Las Vegas last year delivered exactly what you’d expect from Sin City: drama, controversy, and a whole lot of unexpected twists.
It all started with a disaster that nobody saw coming. Just nine minutes into the first practice session, Carlos Sainz‘s Ferrari hit a loose drain cover at high speed. The impact wrecked his car and forced officials to shut down the entire session.
Ferrari was furious. Not only was their car damaged, but Sainz got slapped with a 10-place grid penalty for having to replace parts – something that wasn’t even his fault.
The drama didn’t stop there. Team bosses Fred Vasseur and Toto Wolff let loose with some choice words during the FIA press conference. Their heated reactions earned them both official reprimands from race officials.
Charles Leclerc managed to grab pole position for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen starting alongside him instead of Sainz. Before the race even started, there was an awkward moment when Sergio Perez seemed lost during Bruce Buffer’s UFC-style driver introductions, awkwardly standing next to the announcer while everyone else had moved away.
Verstappen pulled his usual aggressive move at the start – similar to what we saw at COTA this year – and got hit with a five-second penalty. He later tangled with George Russell, who also got penalized.
But nothing could stop the dominant Dutchman. Verstappen powered through to claim his 18th win of the season, adding another victory to his incredible year.
The real excitement came on the final lap, when Leclerc pulled off a brilliant passing move on Perez to grab second place.
In true Vegas style, the top three drivers got to ride together to the podium in a luxury limo – because why walk when you can arrive in style?
The whole weekend perfectly captured the essence of Las Vegas: unpredictable, over-the-top, and never boring for a second.
