If you ever needed proof that Formula 1 is equal parts theatre, tragedy, and technicality, look no further than the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Under the neon glare of the Strip, with the Bellagio fountains dancing and Mickey Mouse inexplicably present on the podium, the sport delivered a night of drama that would make even Bernie Ecclestone blush. Max Verstappen took a commanding win, Lando Norris edged closer to his maiden world title, and McLaren found themselves staring down the barrel of a double disqualification. In Sin City, the house always wins—but tonight, it was the stewards who held all the cards.
- The Strip’s Second Coming: A Brief History of Vegas in F1
- Lights Out, Gloves Off: The Race Unfolds
- The Results: Who Finished Where?
- The Stewards’ Roulette: McLaren’s Plank-Wear Nightmare
- Norris, Piastri, and the Weight of History
- Verstappen: The King of Vegas
- Hamilton’s Long Night
- The Fans, the Fountains, and the Farce
- Plank-Gate: A Brief History of Disqualifications
- The Championship Picture: All Bets Are Off
- Waste a Bit More Time
The Strip’s Second Coming: A Brief History of Vegas in F1
Las Vegas and Formula 1 have always had a relationship best described as complicated. The Caesars Palace Grand Prix of the early 1980s was a flat, uninspiring affair run in a hotel parking lot, memorable only for the physical punishment it inflicted on drivers and the championship deciders it hosted. Alan Jones and Michele Alboreto took the wins, while Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg staggered to their first titles, more from exhaustion than elation.
Fast forward to 2023, and F1 returned to Vegas with all the subtlety of a slot machine jackpot. The new Strip Circuit, weaving past casinos and landmarks, promised spectacle—and delivered it, for better or worse. Max Verstappen won the inaugural modern race, and George Russell claimed victory in 2024, with Verstappen clinching the title that year. The event has since become a fixture, as much about glitz and excess as racing. Historical context source
Lights Out, Gloves Off: The Race Unfolds
The 2025 edition was always going to be pivotal. Lando Norris, on pole after a masterful wet qualifying, was poised to tighten his grip on the championship. Oscar Piastri, his McLaren teammate and closest rival, started fifth.
When the lights went out, Norris’s nerves got the better of him. Braking too late into Turn 1, he ran wide, ceding the lead to Verstappen and dropping to third behind George Russell. The opening lap also saw chaos further back: Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll retired after a Turn 1 incident, and Alex Albon would later join them on the DNF list.
Verstappen, now in clean air, did what Verstappen does best—he disappeared. By mid-race, he was over five seconds clear, setting fastest laps with the nonchalance of a man ordering room service. Norris, meanwhile, recovered to second after passing Russell with 16 laps to go, but the damage was done.
I went for it on no-one else, I let Max have a win! I braked too late, it was my f-up. I wanted to put on a show! Not my best performance out there but when a guy wins by 20 seconds, they’ve done a better job – but a good race. I’ve had a good run, pace was still good. I made the mistake into turn one, I f***** it up, was just too punchy, that cost me, second still a good result, I’m not too disappointed, onto the next one.
Lando Norris source
George Russell, last year’s Vegas winner, held on for third despite a power steering issue, while Piastri’s race was a catalogue of small errors and frustration, finishing fourth.
There’s not much to say, I was one of the only people who braked, got barged out the way, that’s fine… it is what it is. The rest of the race was eventful, way too many mistakes, there were some tough moments. In clean air we were quick, but difficult before and after.
Oscar Piastri source
The Results: Who Finished Where?
Here’s how the top ten shook out on a night where the only certainty was uncertainty:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 50 Laps |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren F1 Team | +20.741s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 | +23.546s |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | +27.650s |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 | +30.488s |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari HP | +30.678s |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams Racing | +34.924s |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls | +45.257s |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | +51.134s |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari HP | +59.369s |
Full results and more details: Crash.net
The Stewards’ Roulette: McLaren’s Plank-Wear Nightmare
Just as the champagne was being sprayed, the real drama began. Both McLarens—Norris and Piastri—were summoned by the stewards for excessive plank wear, a technical infringement as old as the plank itself (introduced in 1994 after Senna’s death to limit ground effect). The minimum thickness is 9mm; both cars were found below this threshold.
If you think this is a rare occurrence, think again. Michael Schumacher lost a win at Spa in 1994 for the same reason. More recently, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the 2023 US Grand Prix in Austin for excessive plank wear—a reminder that in F1, the devil is always in the millimetres.
The skid wear of car numbers 81 (Piastri) and 04 (Norris) was checked. The measured thickness was less than 9mm on both cars, which is the minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e). I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.
FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer source
Should the disqualifications stand, Verstappen’s win would be followed by Russell and Antonelli on the podium, and the championship picture would shift dramatically. As of this writing, the stewards’ decision is pending, but the precedent is clear: plank wear is a slam-dunk DSQ.
Norris, Piastri, and the Weight of History
For Norris, the stakes could not be higher. He leads the championship by 30 points over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, with just 58 left on the table. A double DSQ would cut his lead to 24, with Verstappen moving up to joint-second. The ghosts of title deciders past—Piquet crawling to fifth in 1981, Schumacher’s Spa heartbreak—hover over this moment.
Piastri, for his part, was philosophical about his fading title hopes:
Hopefully… I need more than that now. I’m just going to go next two weeks, prepare as well as I can, would be nice to get some good results to end the year, the championship picture is what is is, we’ll see how it is.
Oscar Piastri source
Verstappen: The King of Vegas
Max Verstappen’s win marks his third consecutive triumph at Las Vegas, cementing his status as the Strip’s undisputed king. He now has wins at every modern US venue—Austin, Miami, and Vegas—a feat unmatched in the current era. His 69th career win (yes, really) keeps him mathematically in the title hunt, though he’ll need a miracle worthy of the city’s finest illusionists to overhaul Norris.
It was good.
Max Verstappen, ever the poet source
Hamilton’s Long Night
Spare a thought for Lewis Hamilton, who started last after a disastrous qualifying—his worst ever by pure pace—and finished tenth. The seven-time champion’s season has been a catalogue of misfortune, and his post-race mood was as bleak as the Nevada desert at dawn.
I feel terrible, terrible. It’s been the worst season ever. No matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse. I’m trying everything, in and out of the car.
Lewis Hamilton source
The Fans, the Fountains, and the Farce
If you wanted spectacle, you got it. The podium ceremony featured the Dutch and Austrian anthems, a Bellagio fountain display, and Mickey Mouse. Modern F1, folks: part sport, part circus, all business. The fans, many of whom paid eye-watering sums for tickets, were treated to a race that had everything—except, perhaps, a satisfying resolution.
For those who missed the live action, the highlights are worth a watch, if only to see Norris’s Turn 1 misadventure and Verstappen’s metronomic dominance:
Watch the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix highlights on YouTube
Plank-Gate: A Brief History of Disqualifications
For the uninitiated, plank wear disqualifications are the technical equivalent of being thrown out of a casino for card counting. Michael Schumacher’s infamous Spa 1994 DSQ, Olivier Panis in Canada 1997, and the double whammy of Hamilton and Leclerc in Austin 2023 all serve as reminders that in F1, the rules are as unforgiving as the Strip’s blackjack tables. Historical context source
The Championship Picture: All Bets Are Off
With two rounds to go—Qatar and Abu Dhabi—the championship remains tantalisingly poised. Norris could clinch the title in Qatar if the stewards’ axe doesn’t fall. Verstappen, ever the predator, is waiting for any slip. Piastri, the perennial nearly-man of 2025, needs a miracle.
The only certainty is uncertainty. In Formula 1, as in Vegas, the house always wins—but tonight, the house is the FIA.
Waste a Bit More Time
If you’re not yet exhausted by the drama, here are some ways to prolong your agony:
- Race Highlights | 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix (YouTube)
- 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix FULL HIGHLIGHTS | ESPN F1 (YouTube)
- Recap and reaction as Verstappen wins and Norris … (BBC)
- LIVE: Reaction as both McLarens facing DISQUALIFICATION (RacingNews365)
- 2025 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Race Results (Crash.net)
- Follow Las Vegas Grand Prix – latest updates (ESPN)
