Six unforgettable highlights from the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
It's hard to pick just a few key moments when the entire race was an emotional rollercoaster, but here are a few we think deserve to make the cut
What a weekend. Three days of racing, full of both surprises and results that were as certain as death and taxes. Set against the shimmering backdrop of the Las Vegas Strip, the F1 Grand Prix did not disappoint in its promise to deliver constant, edge-of-your-seat excitement, whether in practice, qualifying, or the actual race. Let me run you through some of the highlights that made this race so memorable.
Related: Lotus reverses course, says it isn't ditching ICE engines completely Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Franco Colapinto crashes out of Q2
Towards the end of the second qualifier, the William driver struck the inside wall at Turn 16 and slammed into the barrier on the other side of the track. Despite the 50G crash, Colapinto was okay and his team worked tirelessly to repair the car before the next day's race. Despite this, he finished the race in 14th place, quoting the less-than-ideal track conditions as a big factor. Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly forced to retire after Renault engine malfunction
Gasly had come out of the qualifiers with a great P3 position on the grid. Things were looking up when just before Lap 15, the Alpine driver reported a loss of power and smoke began pouring out of his car's engine. The reason was later reported to be due to excessive RPMs caused by a slipstream. In other words, he reached such high speeds that the engine reached almost 13,000 RPM in 8th gear and exploded. Yikes! Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
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Oscar Piastri penalized after a false start
The McLaren team was already not doing too hot coming into the final race, and the false start five-second penalty only added salt to the wound. Teammate Lando Norris finished sixth while Piastri came right behind him in seventh. F1
Perez executes a beautiful double pass
Talk about close calls! Sergio Perez pulled off an incredibly risky double pass on Lap 38 to overtake both Liam Lawson and Kevin Magnussen in one go, securing P12 for Red Bull before moving to P10 by the end of the race. Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
George Russell wins the Las Vegas Grand Prix for Mercedes
After a fantastic practice session, Russell secured the pole position for the Mercedes team going into the final race. Despite some close challenges in the first few laps, with Charles Leclerc notably making a move at Turn 14, Russell kept up the speed. At one point in the race, the gap between him and the last-place driver was over a minute and a half.
Despite mounting pressure from teammate Lewis Hamilton, Russell managed to even the gap between them at five seconds and took home the trophy after 50 grueling laps. Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen takes his fourth consecutive world championship win
Despite finishing fifth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen conquered his previous races and only needed to maintain a good position to take home yet another world championship title.
“It’s been a long season and of course, we started off amazing, it was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run – but as a team, we kept it together, we kept working on improvements and we pulled off the win,” Verstappen said in an interview.
Final thoughts
The race was absolutely unforgettable, especially for a first-time attendee. It's the kind of weekend that words can hardly portray.
If you wanna read more about my attempt at capturing the essence of F1 in an article, check out my detailed article below courtesy of eBay Motors!
Related: What it’s really like to experience an F1 race in Las Vegas for the first time
