F1 found a home in Vegas but this CANNOT be allowed to happen again - GPFans hot takes

Anna Malyon
Sunday 19 November 2023 10:27

Max Verstappen secured victory at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, marking a historic moment for Red Bull as they achieved their first-ever 1-2 finish in the drivers' championship.

Despite the first-lap chaos, where Verstappen forced Charles Leclerc off the track and received a five-second time penalty, he defied the odds and clinched victory.

Leclerc claimed second place after starting on pole, overtaking Sergio Perez on the final lap and forcing the Red Bull settled for third.

An excellent race rounded off a chaotic weekend on the strip, and the GPFans crew have all had their say below...

Here are the GPFans team’s takes on yet another Verstappen victory in Las Vegas.

GPFans journalists on the Brazilian Grand Prix

Stuart Hodge – Chief Editor

Max Verstappen asserted his absolute supremacy once again in Las Vegas to pick up yet another win in this historic season for the Dutchman.

The race was good too, lots of excitement and all of the elements that people were moaning about actually made for one of the best races of the season. Lots of overtakes, crashes and safety cars and chaos. The organisation of the event was a shambles from start to finish – I'll be looking more at that tomorrow – but what a great watch!

Perez sealed second place in the championship, but the overtake from Charles Leclerc on the last lap sums up just how he's not up to the standard required to back up the champion. It's been a season of inadequacy from the Mexican barring the hot first four races. Were it not for Red Bull's imperious dominance during that spell at the start of the season, he wouldn't have had it so easy to help the team secure its first-ever 1-2 in the championship.

Vegas is meant to be mad, wacky, off the wall - it was all of those things, but the race was class and I'm glad it's here to stay.

Viva the Nevada showpiece – and Max has put in one of the best seasons in history. Hope he enjoys himself a little more when he's here next year!

Chris Deeley – Lead Editor

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was one of the biggest disasters on the calendar…until it wasn’t. The track looked unfit for racing even after five laps on Saturday night on the strip, with drivers sliding into turn one and Lando Norris going off in big style before the track rubbered in and the tyres warmed up.

The organisers need to make massive changes for 2024. The time zones don’t work for anyone watching in the US, in Europe, or even for the drivers. Conditions were simply too cold. Between the conditions, the track clearly not being ready for purpose on Thursday, and the demands on the drivers’ time at the end of a long season, this cannot be allowed to happen again. They got bailed out, in a big way.

F1 is, first and foremost, a racing series. This weekend was a PR event with a race attached. The garnish has eaten the steak, and it feels like an unfortunate sign of things to come under the Liberty Media regime.

Shay Rogers – Lead Researcher

Las Vegas certainly showed up on Saturday night, despite fears that it would be an ultimate disappointment. It wasn’t enough to make up for everything else, but the race was exactly what you would expect from 20 high octane machines flying down the strip.

Max Verstappen has that knack of finding a way to win no matter what position he is in - the statement of a true champion. Charles Leclerc continues to show why he deserves the chance to fight for a title soon.

Special shout to Lance Stroll who continues to perform for Aston Martin and at a time when it matters for his team. Finishing 5th from 19th on the grid is no mean feat and he may have single handily kept them in the fight for 4th in the constructors’ championship.

Ronan Murphy – Social Editor

The biggest gamble in the F1 calendar paid out handsomely. After a bad beat in FP1, the sport bounced back to provide one of the most entertaining races in a long, long time.

The Las Vegas Grand prix promised to be big and bold, and just like the city itself, it delivered on those promises and then some!

Everything is bigger and better in Las Vegas and surprisingly the racing was much better than the vast majority of what we have seen this year - despite Max Verstappen’s scepticism heading into the race.

The biggest achievement is of the weekend is not the fact that they were actually able to hold a successful race on the streets of Vegas, but the fact that this race, more than any other, will bring the new fans the sport craves.

With the Las Vegas GP set to stay on the calendar for the next decade, this is only the start of things.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And here’s hoping F1 stays in Vegas for as long as possible.

Las Vegas GP: A little less conversation, a little more action, baby.#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/NeBzixTsAa

— GPFans Global (@GPFansGlobal) November 19, 2023

Anna Malyon – F1 Journalist

Despite the controversy and drama, the Las Vegas Grand Prix truly delivered, bringing some thrilling on-track action from the get-go. Max Verstappen clinched another victory, conquering penalties and overcoming every obstacle in his path. It was yet another showcase of why he's a three-time world champion.

Yet the biggest setback for the McLaren drivers unfolded this weekend. Lando Norris suffered a major blow, crashing into the barrier on the fourth lap. While Oscar Piastri seemed to be in the mix at the top, a late pit stop resulted in a 10th-place finish. This is undoubtedly a weekend that McLaren will want to forget.

But hey, hats off to Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll for pulling off impressive fourth and fifth-place finishes. In the midst of all action and spectacle, let's take a moment to give credit to both of these drivers.

Cal Gaunt - F1 Journalist

While I was astonished not to see my Logan Sargeant victory prediction come in, fair play Max Verstappen - who appears to have suddenly had a change of heart and now rather likes Las Vegas.

Ferrari will once again rue a missed opportunity having had Charles Leclerc on pole, but in truth, nobody can match the magnificence of Verstappen and the RB19. We just have to enjoy that for what it is and hope that one day in the not too distant future, the dominance era will come to an end for the good of F1.

Speaking of F1 as a business, the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the whole carried significant stakes with various potential pitfalls (I'm looking at you, manhole cover). It was a logistical nightmare, and despite efforts to enhance the city's brash and trashy image this week, Vegas is definitely still more chaos than sophistication.

That said, the outcome of what transpired this weekend will be heard and read about all over the world. F1 gambled on a billion people enjoying the Vegas spectacle, and for me, that bet undeniably paid off.

READ MORE: Red Bull make F1 history as Verstappen defies penalty to win in Vegas