Max Verstappen has seized the day in Las Vegas! Taking full advantage of a miscalculation by Lando Norris at the start, Verstappen claimed victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The four-time world champion from Red Bull drove a flawless race, never once finding himself in trouble. This marks the second time since 2023 that Verstappen has won the race in the world’s gambling capital.
Lando Norris managed to limit the damage, finishing second and thus extending his lead in the World Championship standings over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who only managed to finish fifth.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
ROUND 1/50: It’s cold but dry in Las Vegas. Lando Norris, starting from pole position, aggressively steers his McLaren to the inside to block Max Verstappen, but misses his braking point for turn 1. Verstappen capitalizes and takes the lead, with George Russell also overtaking the championship leader.
There’s chaos in the rear ranks as well. Gabriel Bortoleto clumsily rams into Lance Stroll, ending the race for both of them. This allows Lewis Hamilton to move up to P12. Oscar Piastri also has a stroke of bad luck, getting hit by Liam Lawson and dropping to P7.
ROUND 2/50: Debris on the track from the start leads the race officials to declare a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) situation. The gap between Verstappen and Russell is just over a second.
ROUND 10/50: Verstappen leads ahead of Russell, who is outside of DRS range. The gap is about one and a half seconds. Lando Norris, in turn, is trailing Russell by just under three seconds. Top 10: Verstappen, Russell, Norris, Sainz, Hadjar, Piastri, Leclerc, Bearman, Alonso, Hülkenberg.
Piastri’s Misfortune
ROUND 13/50: Piastri is having a rough time and nearly misses his braking point at the start of the Strip. Charles Leclerc takes full advantage and soon after takes sixth place. Shortly after, Isack Hadjar also falls behind, moving Leclerc up to P5.
ROUND 14/50: Alexander Albon’s rear end collides with the rear of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, causing him to pit with damage. The second VSC situation is declared due to debris on the track. Kimi Antonelli receives a five-second time penalty for a false start, while his Mercedes teammate George Russell complains about problems with the power steering.
ROUND 18/50: George Russell makes his first pit stop, swapping his medium tyres for the hard compound. He re-enters the track in seventh position, behind Hadjar. This gives Lando Norris some clear air, and he moves into second place, three seconds behind Verstappen.
ROUND 23/50: Lando Norris makes his first stop and re-enters the track just behind Russell, in P4. Verstappen now leads with a nearly twenty-second advantage over Charles Leclerc. Both, of course, still need to make their first stop. The race is progressing well for the four-time world champion from Red Bull.
Slow Pit Stop for Verstappen
ROUND 26/50: Verstappen makes his pit stop for the hard tyres, which is far from ideal. Despite the hiccup, he still re-enters the track with a lead of over a second (thus out of DRS range) over Russell.
ROUND 35/50: Lando Norris overtakes George Russell on the long straight at the start/finish line with the help of DRS. The hunt for Max Verstappen is on, as the determined message comes through on the radio. The gap is about five seconds.
ROUND 43/50: Norris is not gaining on Verstappen, who is cruising towards victory. Behind Norris, the standings are as follows: Russell, Antonelli, Piastri, Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr, Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, Hamilton.
Low Fuel for Norris
ROUND 48/50: Norris has a problem. He is running low on fuel. He significantly reduces his pace. However, his second place is not in jeopardy, as the gap to Russell is too large.
ROUND 50/50: Viva Las Vegas! After winning in 2023 and securing his fourth world title in 2024, Max Verstappen steals the show again at this edition of the Las Vegas race. He is flagged as the winner by actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. For Verstappen, this is his sixth victory of the season.
Top-10: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Antonelli, Piastri, Leclerc, Sainz, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Hamilton.
