PRIXVIEW – Las Vegas Grand Prix

Round twenty-two kicks off the concluding triple header night/twilight races in Las Vegas under the famous lights of the strip. The city returned to the sport after a forty-year hiatus in 2023, marking the 1,100^th running of a world championship race and has begun to establish itself as one of the highlights of the season

The 3.8-mile circuit running along the Las Vegas strip, officially called the Las Vegas Boulevard. Many of the corner names come from the many casinos, entertainment venues and landmarks. One of the sections is named after Caesar’s Palace, where the race took place in 1983. The anti-clockwise circuit balances straight-line speed and technical corners as well as several opportunities for overtaking.

Its backdrop is one of the most iconic backdrops as it incorporates part of Las Vegas Boulevard, widely known as the Las Vegas Strip. The cars pass several local landmarks that are illuminated at night. Although the race is only in its fourth running and second at this street circuit, it has the makings of a race which could become one of the modern classics and highlights

Adding to the challenge of the circuit is its being anticlockwise as well as the need to balance straight-line speed and the slower technical corners, the circuit has one of the longest flat-out sections broken by a flat-out right gander. There are also a few technical sections, like the first few corners of the two chicanes, which could be overtaking opportunities.

However, being in the desert, the extremes go to heat from twenty degrees in the day to freezing at night at this time of year. It makes it slightly different to say other night races, as we are later in the evening, with the predictions of being a cold race it could make tyre warm-up more difficult.

The circuit is very much what we expect from modern street circuits with flat-out straights and the slower technical corners. The circuit has one of the longest flat-out sections broking by a flat-out right gander. There are also a few technical sections, like the first few corners of the two chicanes, which could be overtaking opportunities.

The first race in Vegas was held in the 1980s in the car park of Caesar’s Palace, also a street circuit. Won by Alan Jones, who beat Alain Prost by twenty seconds following the seventy-five-lap race; however, it was not enough for Jones to win the championship as Nelson Piquet finished fifth. That allowed the Brazilian to beat Carlos Reutemann to the title by a point and Jones by four points, Jacques Laffite by six Prost by seven, to take his first title.

The following season, the race was won by Michele Alberto, taking Tyrrell’s first win in over four years and becoming the eleventh different winner in sixteen races. It was also the last race in Vegas until 2023. But Keke Rosberg was fifth, allowing him to secure the drivers by five points ahead of Didier Pironi. Ferrari also took the constructors by the same margin ahead of McLaren.

When this new Vegas circuit was built, it was a realisation of a forty-year dream, learning from the lessons which made the 1980s races unpopular with drivers and fans. Vegas has become, in its short revival, one of the iconic backdrops like Monaco or Singapore.

Vegas is another high-speed street circuit where you do get plenty of overtaking because of the long straights and hard stops for the corners, as well as the possibility of mistakes. The circuit is designed in line with the modern street circuits which have been designed in line to create overtaking opportunities, as we see drivers racing hard, but they always face the risks of accidents leading to safety cars in the race and red flags in qualifying.

The revived race made its debut in 2023, where Charles Leclerc beat his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz by half a second to take pole with a 32.726. The Monacan topped all three parts of the session, as the track continued to improve right up until the final seconds.

Max Verstappen was third but started second thanks to the damage done to Sainz’s Ferrari during his incident in FP1 when he ran over the faulty water valve cover. It was a really competitive session with the field covered by a second in Q1, with six teams making it into Q3.

Verstappen went on to take victory after overtaking Leclerc for the final time on the last lap and taking victory by two seconds. Throughout the race, the two fought hard, but safety cars played into Red Bull’s hands after the Dutchman made his only stop under safety car at a quarter distance before surging through to take the lead on lap thirty-eight. After the Dutchman took the lead, he managed to build a lead and take his eighteenth win of the season.

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was third despite being overtaken by Leclerc on the final lap; the Mexican finished two and a half tenths behind, allowing him to seal second in the drivers. His main rival for the runners-up spot, Lewis Hamilton, could only manage seventh.

Race & Circuit Guide

*Including Caesar’s Palace Grand Prix

Fast facts

• At 6.201km, the Las Vegas Strip Circuit is the second-longest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps (7.004km) and just ahead of Jeddah Corniche Circuit (6.178km).
• The World Championship has been won in Las Vegas three times: by Nelson Piquet in 1981, Keke Rosberg in 1982 and Max Verstappen in 2024. On all three occasions, the driver secured the title by finishing fifth
• Las Vegas’ High Roller Ferris wheel is the tallest trackside Ferris wheel on the F1 calendar. It stands just over two metres taller than the Singapore Flyer, near Marina Bay Street Circuit. The High Roller was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world until Ain Dubai opened in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.
• “Las Vegas” means “the meadows” due to water found in underground artesian wells
• Gaming/gambling generally accounts for slightly over 43 percent of Las Vegas casinos’ revenue

Event timetable

What happened in 2025?

FP1 saw Lewis Hamilton lead a Mercedes one-two with a 35.001 set in the closing moments of the session, going nearly four-tenths faster than teammate George Russell. Lando Norris was third almost six-tenths behind Russel and a second off Hamilton, allowing the English trio to lock out the top three. The McLaren driver was half a tenth ahead of Charles Leclerc.

FP2 Hamilton again led the session with a 38,825 but Norris managed to split the Mercedes duo this time after going just over a tenth and three-quarters ahead of George Russell as the three Englishmen once again locked out the top three. The grip was much improved during the second session which allowed the three Mercedes-powered cars to go ahead of the Ferrari’s.

FP3 was topped by Russell with a 33.570, which put him two-tenths faster than Oscar Piastri thanks to a late red flag caused by Lance Stroll stopping by Treasure Island. Sainz was third and Norris fourth with the top four all separated by a tenth in the early evening session.

Qualifying saw Russell beat Carlos Sainz to pole by just under a tenth. The Mercedes driver set a 32.312 in the closing moments of Q3 to put himself ahead of the Spaniard in a session which saw drama throughout. Pierre Gasly surprised, putting his Alpine third, splitting the two Ferraris, he was a quarter of a second off Sainz and ahead of Charles Leclerc by over a tenth. Leclerc, who took pole last year, also aborted his first run, and his final attempt had a poor first sector.

Russell converted pole into victory as he beat Hamilton by seven seconds after the seven-time champion charged from tenth to pass both Sainz and Leclerc for second in the closing stages. The two Ferraris were locked in a battle for most of the race, Leclerc at the start past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Leclerc before tyre wear began to bite, allowing both the Mercedes to pull away.

Verstappen sealed the championship by at least three points with two rounds to go, it was an uneventful night for the now four-time champion as he kept himself ahead of Norris. It was a performance he needed to secure the title at the first chance he had, and he did so with the calmness and aplomb with which he has driven for the vast majority of the year.

Norris was twenty-seven seconds behind Verstappen as he beat his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by almost eight and a half seconds.

Championship Standings

What to watch for?

Las Vegas kicks off the final three weeks of the season, where it appears increasingly likely that this championship will be decided between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. But the feeling I have is that over the last few races is that the championship has swung towards Norris, who is thirty-four points ahead, but anything can happen.

Norris over the crucial final six races, which we are in has taken three out of five wins, with four races remaining, including the sprint in Lusail. These are all circuits which I think suit the Englishman’s driving style, and he won the last two races, whereas it appears Piastri has continued this implosion and the commentary has been about Norris showing himself as a champion in waiting because of the way he has bounced back and has shown himself to be better at doing that this season.

Max Verstappen needs a good weekend here; he remains in mathematical contention but it’s increasingly unlikely given the strength of McLaren, unless there is a series of incidents between Norris and Piastri that cost them a lot of points. The Red Bull car hasn’t been there all season to constantly be a threat to McLaren, with Yuki Tsunoda highlighting how good the four-time champion is.

Vegas is another high-speed street circuit, which means that you need good straight-line and cornering speed. We saw in Singapore McLaren come under more pressure and didn’t win that weekend, but this is a very different desert than we will see in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as we saw last year when Mercedes had a strong weekend when George Russell took victory.

The usual caveat continues here with it being a street circuit meaning we can see safety cars, yellow and red flags throughout the race and qualifying, which means teams need to be on it to be on track at the right time. I imagine, though, the cut off time for Q2 and Q3 could again be tight. As we are at the end of the regulation cycle.

Ferrari could be under pressure as they have been criticised last week by chairman John Elkann, as we know they have had a tough and underwhelming season. But the circuit could create some surprises, and we are able to get racing here, Charles Leclerc has always been strong at street circuits and seems to be in the hunt for pole.

This is the start of the final triple header to the end of the season, all the drivers and teams will want to end this season strongly, and that could begin here this weekend.

2023 vs 2024 Race Data

2024 Lap time comparison

Tyres