The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix may have got off to a bumpy start with a track fault bringing practice to a screaming halt but finished against the backdrop of the spectacular Fountains of Bellagio and a record-extending Max Verstappen win.
Despite all the fanfare and sideshow entertainment, the Las Vegas Strip delivered a hectic race on a circuit that was ideal for overtaking, no doubt bringing a sense of relief to race organisers.
With the F1 setup unashamedly leaning into Las Vegas, there were plenty of strange ceremonies unique to the sport’s latest US venture.
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Here’s a bit of a taste of the weird, wacky and at times unhinged race weekend that was the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Red Bull rock Elvis Presley-inspired race suits
Red Bull Racing partnered with Elvis Presley Enterprises to design special race suits inspired by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s signature Vegas look.
Unveiled for the showpiece race, Verstappen was decked out in white while Sergio Perez resembled more a Ferrari driver in red.
The jumpsuits were completed with gold stars lined on the front and back and a signature gold ‘Elvis’ belt.
With Verstappen claiming his 18th race victory of the season, he changed his otherwise critical tune towards the event to sing ’Viva Las Vegas’ over the team radio on the in-lap.
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Las Vegas GP hit with lawsuit after practice debacle
Ahead of lights out, F1 fans infuriated at being forced to leave the track early on the first night filed a class-action lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix and its owner Liberty Media.
Some 35,000 people who bought tickets to the race’s opening night of practice saw just nine minutes of action before Carlos Sainz ran over a drain cover which smashed the bottom of his Ferrari and triggered a widespread safety operation.
A few false starts before the cars hit the track
There were a few hiccups in the lead-up to the penultimate race of the season.
Firstly, several vintage cars being used in the traditional drivers’ parade broke down, leaking a significant amount of oil on the track.
This threatened to cause chaos at the race start with drivers struggling for tyre grip.
However, track marshals soon leapt into action, furiously cleaning the starting grid.
Things then got a little bit awkward as UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer introduced the drivers.
Perez clearly had no idea what to do as he uncomfortably stood there and waited for the presentation to be over.
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No stranger to cringe-worthy grid moments, ex-F1 driver turned commentator Martin Brundle appeared not to recognise football icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic before being brushed by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
F1 takes over the Sphere
The Sphere was incorporated into the Las Vegas Grand Prix across the entire weekend.
Standing at over 110m tall and 157m wide, the world’s largest spherical structure lurked in the background of every shot.
The Sphere’s bright exterior LED screen displayed images of driver cards, statistics, F1 helmets and custom graphics throughout the race, as well as racing flags in real-time, including the yellow flag and black and white chequered flag.
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The Las Vegas cooldown car
Organisers swapped the standard cooldown room where the podium place getters catch their breath and debrief before heading up the podium to the cooldown car in Vegas.
In a bizarre turn of events, podium finishers Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Perez were ushered into a Rolls-Royce and driven down the track to the Bellagio Hotel for their post-race interviews and a celebratory water show.
“Where are we going?,” Leclerc could be heard saying on the broadcast.
“Straight to the nightclub,” Verstappen replied.
“Skip everything. See you tomorrow everyone, or not.”
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After several minutes the trio were then bundled back into the car and driven back for the trophy presentation.
With the three drivers packed in the backseat like sardines, the conversation had the potential to turn nasty after Verstappen pushed Leclerc wide on the opening corner before refusing to give the position back, resulting in a five-second time penalty.
