‘25 Las Vegas GP
About the Grand Prix: The first Las Vegas Grand Prix, called initially the Caesars Grand Prix, took place in 1982. In 2023, Las Vegas returned to the Formula 1 calendar, but under very different circumstances: as a night race on a temporary street circuit set against the iconic backdrop of the city. The Grand Prix is currently contracted until 2027, and it is expected to remain a fixture on the F1 calendar for the long term, as it also serves as a home race for Formula 1 as a company.
About the Circuit:
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is a 17-turn track spanning 3.853 miles (6.201 km) and located in the heart of the iconic Las Vegas Strip. It features renowned landmarks such as the Sphere, the Bellagio Fountains, and Caesar's Palace. Designed by Carsten Tilke, the son of the famous Formula One circuit designer Hermann Tilke, this circuit is known for its high-speed nature and numerous overtaking opportunities. Unique among the F1 calendar, the Las Vegas race consists of 71 laps.
The start of the final triple header of the 2025 season. F1 rolls into Vegas.
Weekend Highlights:
MCLAREN. Lando looked peak, and Oscar struggled after a first lap race incident penalty. It's almost like we've seen a complete switch in McLaren drivers over the last few weekends. Oscar looked iron-clad, the breaks were going his way, and Lando was melting; now, Lando is driving with title-winning style, and Oscar is piecing together a solid weekend. Vegas really is a do-or-die type situation for Oscar's title hopes; he needs a win, or the margins will slip out of reach. Lando can make this triple-header way easier for himself with a win in Vegas. With a 24-point lead going into the last three races, there's no time to let off the gas for Lando. Vegas will be a SHOW under the lights!.
Mercedes. Fantastic weekend from Mercedes. Double podium in the sprint and a highly impressive 2nd place finish from Kimi in the grand prix. Mercedes took home a boatload of points from Brazil, and they did it on one of Ferrari's worst weekends of the season. There are still plenty of points to be had, so Mercedes can't take a second to enjoy the success, or they could find themselves in fourth, just like Ferrari was in second a week ago. George won last year in Vegas, and the team had a double podium. Mercedes could be in another potentially good spot for the 2025 Vegas GP. Expect double top-5 finishes with a potential podium finish.
Red Bull. Max almost did the impossible in Brazil, leading the race at one point and finishing on the podium, all from the pit-lane starting spot. While the race ended the weekend on a high note, the Saturday qualifying session was one to forget with Verstappen seeing his first Q1 exit in ages. The team essentially scrapped the car and replaced the power unit.
Ferrari. That was about as bad a weekend as Ferrari could have put together. A 5th and a 7th in the sprint, both cars retired from the grand prix with no points; on the weekend, Mercedes showed strongly and took second place from Ferrari. Upside: Ferrari has been on every podium in Vegas since its return. Charles and Lewis have both been on the podium in Vegas.
Williams. Williams has not found the Grand Prix pace in the last few races, scoring points only in the sprint race at COTA. On an interesting note, Alex Albon recorded his first fastest lap during the grand prix. Williams has qualified well in Vegas but has not converted those qualifying positions into points. Williams is comfortable in fifth place with a nearly 30-point lead over VCARB, but all things can change with one excellent weekend by VCARB. Williams needs to continue building that margin; ending the season in fifth would be a massive success for the team.
VCARB. VCARB is in a groove; the team is scoring points —not just 1 or 2 here and there. The team is getting good race results, taking nice chunks of points. If the team can piece together double-point finishes over this last triple header, VCARB could sneak up on Williams for fifth place.
Aston Martin. Alonso walked away with a sixth-place three-point sprint race finish, bringing home the only points of the weekend. The team needs a strong finish in Vegas. All the teams around them in the standings are late-rallying, and Aston could find themselves being hopped in the standings without securing some strong points finishes in this final triple header.
Haas. Ollie is on a hot streak and is single-handedly closing the points gap to Aston Martin, with a four-race points streak bringing the team 24 points in four races. Only two points behind Aston heading into Vegas, Haas could jump into seventh place in the constructors' standings.
Stake-sauber. A bit of a scary and disappointing weekend for Gabi's first home GP, the crash in the sprint race and grand prix, Gabi was unable to bring home points. Not to disappoint, Nico continued the team's back-to-back points weekends with a third straight points finish. Eight points behind Haas, 10 points behind Aston Martin; Stake is one more magical weekend away from leapfrogging the constructors' standings.
Alpine. Pierre Gasly broke a seven-race pointless streak for Alpine. It was a double point finish, a single point in the sprint race, and a point in the grand prix. While those two points don't make much of a difference to the constructors, they represent a positive step for the Alpine team, which has been noncompetitive over the last eight races.
