The most eagerly anticipated Formula One race in years took place over the weekend as cars raced down the iconic Las Vegas strip. An event that was so long in the making deserved an extra special show to go alongside it, and that was never in doubt–even after an unexpected problem during race week.
But there was skepticism, too, including reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, who declared the race would be “99% about the show and 1% about the sport.” By the weekend’s close, almost everyone, including the initially reluctant Verstappen, agreed that the Grand Prix took centre stage as the main event. The spectacular Las Vegas surroundings added to the ambiance.
The weekend was imperfect, though, and didn’t start promisingly. Less than 10 minutes of track action occurred before the first practice session was stopped due to a loose drain cover that had damaged cars driven by Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon. The session did not restart quickly as marshals (by rule) had to check the 40 other drain covers on the circuit. That requirement caused a lengthy delay to the second practice, so much so that given the late-night scheduling of the event, no fans would be allowed to attend the session.
However, all of that was forgotten by race time. After all, the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was marketed as the “race of the season,” and now that it’s over, it is difficult to disagree with that prediction.
That’s because the race had exciting action from start to finish. The race started with Max Verstappen overtaking Charles Leclerc into turn one for the race’s lead. However, in doing so, Verstappen forced Leclerc off-track, and he would later receive a five-second time penalty for this offense. Further back, spins for both Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz mixed up the middle to lower order as drivers were either caught up in their spins or managed to avoid the incidents and take advantage of the wows suffered by their fellow competitors.
The race’s lead changed hands five times, and at various stages, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, or Sergio Perez seemed to be the driver who would claim victory. The non-stop racing actions continued to the penultimate corner of the last lap of the race as Charles Leclerc pulled off a stunning overtaking move on Sergio Perez to claim 2nd place.
It was an ending fitting of all that preceded it, during the race and for the entire weekend.
It wasn’t just at the front of the field that excitement was happening. For example, Lance Stroll fought his way up from 19th on the grid to finish fifth. Lewis Hamilton, who through no fault of his own, got caught up in the lap one first corner spin of Carlos Sainz and would also later suffer a puncture after contact with Oscar Piastri, dropped as low as 17th. But Hamilton ended up finishing 7th as he fought his way through the field with numerous incredible overtaking maneuvers, most notably on Pierre Gasly as he went down the inside of the Alpine driver through the flat-out final corner.
Even though I believe the first season of this event was well worth the wait, there are always teething problems when holding a massive event like this. In this case, it’s making sure fans do not lose out on seeing live action.
The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix has proven that “the sport” and “the show” can co-exist; when they do, everyone is better off for it.
