The race in Las Vegas concludes with a victory for George Russell, who finishes ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz. Here’s what happened during the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was a race full of internal battles that marked the conclusion of the fight for the Drivers’ Championship, which was secured by Max Verstappen for the fourth time in his career. Meanwhile, the Constructors’ Championship battle intensifies, with Ferrari’s position dangerously close to McLaren’s, with the latter’s MCL38 leaving the drivers with a bitter taste.
Thus, the Las Vegas Grand Prix ends with a Mercedes 1-2, the first since Brazil 2022, with George Russell finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Joining the two British drivers on the podium is Carlos Sainz, while Charles Leclerc crosses the line in fourth place, ahead of World Champion Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Race Highlights
The race begins – The first of fifty laps starts in Sin City. As the lights go out, George Russell maintains the lead, immediately keeping the Spaniard behind him. In the second row, Charles Leclerc makes a strong start, overtaking Pierre Gasly and then Carlos Sainz in the first lap. Meanwhile, in the back, there’s a close battle between Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls for 13th place. In this tight fight, the New Zealander prevails, while Alex Albon attempts to pass Sergio Perez. After Franco Colapinto’s incident in Turn 16 during Q2 of qualifying, the Grove team managed to get the Argentine into the race, although he started from the pit lane.
The Ferrari driver doesn’t waste any time, trying immediately to challenge Russell in the Mercedes for a potential “poker” finish, but his SF-24 number 16 begins to suffer from excessive tire wear due to his aggressive attempts to overtake. In lap 5, the Race Direction investigates Oscar Piastri for a false start, and the Australian is handed a 5-second penalty in the pit lane.
The situation becomes even more difficult for Charles Leclerc in lap 7, as his tires begin to degrade faster. He’s overtaken first by Carlos Sainz, who returns to his starting position, then by Max Verstappen, who is chasing the Drivers’ Championship. Verstappen manages to pass Sainz, moving behind George Russell.
Pit Stops and Strategy Shuffle – The first round of pit stops begins on lap 10, with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris pitting first, followed by Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen for their white tire change. The Mercedes cars fly ahead in Vegas, with an impressive 1-2 from the Silver Arrows in the first half of the race, before the seven-time world champion Hamilton pits.
By lap 15, George Russell is still leading the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, following behind. In the rearview mirrors, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Valtteri Bottas are all fighting for position. After a strong weekend performance, Pierre Gasly ends his race early due to an issue with his car. Around the halfway point, Charles Leclerc is informed via radio that a “Plan C” is available for him, likely referring to a two-stop strategy. Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap, while Lando Norris struggles, losing time with a 5.311-second gap.
Second pit stop round – The second pit stop cycle begins with Oscar Piastri, followed by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, all changing to white tires. A battle breaks out at Ferrari between Leclerc and Sainz, with Sainz defending third place before receiving an order from the team to let Leclerc pass. This puts Leclerc at risk of overtaking Hamilton as well. Sainz suffers problems during his pit stop.
By lap 32, the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen heats up. Hamilton successfully passes Verstappen to take third place behind his future teammate, Charles Leclerc, who pits, allowing Hamilton to move up to second. As it stands, Mercedes is in a 1-2 position with Verstappen on the podium.
Final battles – With 12 laps to go, a three-way fight develops between Liam Lawson, Kevin Magnussen, and Sergio Perez, with Perez emerging victorious and claiming 12th place, just behind Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, Ferrari revs up, with Charles Leclerc temporarily taking the fastest lap point, only for Hamilton to steal it, before Leclerc regains it in lap 41. Carlos Sainz manages to pass Verstappen, taking away his chance for a podium finish and moving up behind the two Silver Arrows. Leclerc follows Sainz, pushing Verstappen down to fifth place, just ahead of Lando Norris. The next race will take place in Qatar next week.
Photos: Alpine, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.