After perhaps the most hyped and talked about Grand Prix in history, the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix is now in the record books. It was a weekend that promised so much and for the most part delivered on all of that, even though at the end we got the same result we have had mostly all season.
Max Verstappen was both right and wrong to criticise Vegas. No matter what you think about him, he is never short of a quote. His criticisms of the Las Vegas race had the world talking. From complaining he felt like a ‘clown’ during the opening ceremony to calling the circuit ‘minor league’, Verstappen was not getting the memo from F1 officials that everyone needed to talk this race up, not diminish it.
Others were quick to scathe him for it, with Toto Wolff blasting comments quite aggressively around negativity during a press conference on the Thursday through to Lewis Hamilton taking thinly veined swipes at Verstappen during post-race interviews. There was plenty to say around all aspects of what the World Champion was saying.
Verstappen was right in the fact that Las Vegas was all show, hype, and that definitely rubbed a lot of traditional F1 fans the wrong way. F1 does seem to often forget the traditional fan base of the sport, one that has been following it for many years. However, growth is needed, and the boom has had so many positives.
As for the grid penalty rules, it’s no secret that Carlos Sainz was very much robbed over the weekend in Las Vegas. A severe penalty and the cost involved to Ferrari in fixing the car has to be taken into consideration. It was a clear example to the rule makers of the sport that there needs to be something placed in the rules to include unforeseen circumstances that can absolve penalties in cases like this. This is something that needs to be fixed, and fixed fast.
Lance Stroll had another strong weekend. He drove a controlled, measured, and smart race to avoid all the carnage around him on race day. However, there was barely any recognition for it. With one race remaining, Stroll needs to finish ninth or better to secure his best ever points haul in his career. Once again recognition should be given where due.
Sergio Perez may have just saved his seat with his performance in the Las Vegas race. No matter what happens from here, he can clearly point to the fact that he did the minimum required from him and did so with a good drive on the Sunday, coming from 11th on the grid to take the podium.