On November 23, 20 cars raced down the Las Vegas Strip for what was the third running of the Heineken Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix. The whole weekend was filled with excitement and events, with activities for every fan to take part in.
Unlike the usual Formula One weekend, the Las Vegas Grand Prix had practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and the race on Saturday. Usually, everything is shifted back, and the race takes place on Sunday. Formula One does this to maximize the viewership across time zones all over the world. On Thursday, the cars hit the street circuit during Free Practice one and two. It was raining, so many teams went on runs with the intermediate and wet tires. Friday brought a new level of complexity, as during qualifying, it was actively raining. The wet tires were brought out for the first round of qualifying, which is a very rare occurrence. These tires are only used in super-poor track conditions, and with the cold temperature of the circuit, along with the rain, the teams opted for the blue-ringed tires. Q1 was perhaps the most exciting part of the weekend, as the treacherous conditions had everyone guessing who would be knocked out. In a shock, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was eliminated, marking the first time in his career (aside from mechanical issues) that he failed to make it past Q1. In addition, rookie sensation Kimi Antonella of Mercedes was knocked out, finishing in 17th. Q2 saw the track dry, and the constructors were able to put on the soft tire – the compound with the most grip and the shortest longevity – to do their qualifying laps. After the five slowest drivers were cut, Q3 was off. With a few seconds left, Max Verstappen took provisional pole, only for Lando Norris to steal it by a few tenths during his last lap.
Despite qualifying second, Verstappen was able to overtake Norris on the first lap, forcing him to brake too late and go deep, where he would end up losing another place to George Russell, who qualified third. After this lap, Verstappen led, followed by Russell and then Norris. The majority of the race was led by Verstappen, coasting to his 69th win. Norris was able to get back past the Mercedes, coming in second and almost securing the championship, as his teammate, Oscar Piastri, finished off the podium and in fourth. Antonelli had an unexpected performance, finishing fourth on the road but fifth overall due to a five-second penalty he picked up for a false start. Antonelli had a pit stop at the beginning of the race and drove the rest of the race on one set of tires. Jeffrey Chang ‘28, who had seats near turn one, described the race by saying, “Being able to see the cars in person compared to what I usually watch on TV was amazing. I was able to see the real speed the cars travel at.”
In a shocking turn of events, both McLarens were disqualified after the race was over. Their cars had a technical breach; the plank on the bottom was worn down too much. This makes things much more exciting in the championship, as Verstappen was now even with Piastri in points, at 366, both 24 behind Norris. Earlier this year, Verstappen faced a 104-point gap, and he looks to complete an impossible comeback.
Besides the race, there were many events and activities for fans to enjoy. At the Venetian Resort, Formula One had an exclusive store, with collaborations and exclusive merchandise from companies like Disney and Lego. People waited for hours in line just to enter the store. Many of the big hotels had teams staying there and showcases on display. The Venetian had an Alpine car in the lobby, and the Wynn had a Ferrari Display, with race suits from different generations. Las Vegas had an amazing atmosphere for the weekend. Austin Ewing ‘26, who was also in attendance, said, “Going to the Las Vegas Grand Prix was one of the best experiences of my life. The energy was unlike anything I had ever seen, and you could hear the cars from multiple blocks away. The only thing that made it better was Max Verstappen getting the win and getting closer to the title”. At the Caesars Palace, there was an F1 Arcade, where friends and family could gather and race against each other on simulators. Gordon Ramsay even made an appearance at the F1 Arcade before the race on Saturday. He was just one of many celebrities in attendance. Beyonce and Jay-Z watched from the Ferrari garage, while Terry Crews drove the podium finishers in a bright pink Lego Cadillac. Formula One hosted an amazing weekend, from racing to events, and made the season much more interesting with the surprise result of the Grand Prix.