Max Verstappen wins Las Vegas Grand Prix, closes the F1 points gap
Max Verstappen claimed his second win in four races on Saturday night, keeping his title hopes alive with a victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, News.Az reports citing the Ksat.com.
It marks his second win in three years on the Las Vegas street circuit, which includes part of the famed Strip. Verstappen won the inaugural race in 2023 and secured his fourth straight championship there last year.
Now he has another win at an event he despised ahead of its debut because of the bright spotlight promoters placed on celebrities and parties instead of the actual competition. But when it comes time to get in the car, no matter how Verstappen feels about the event, he seems to excel.
“Simply lovely,” Verstappen said on his Red Bull team radio.
He then rushed into the arms of his waiting Red Bull crew as the skyline was illuminated by a spectacular New Year's Eve-style fireworks display.
Verstappen then took a victory lap in a pink Cadillac made of Legos driven by actor Terry Crews, who is an ambassador for the Cadillac F1 team that will debut next year.
It was the 69th victory of Verstappen's career.
“I have to stay at 69 or go to 169 because it is actually quite a cool number,” he said on one of the two victory podiums located outside the fountains of the Bellagio casino.
It was Verstappen’s eighth consecutive podium, F1-record eighth win in the United States, and he beat points leader Lando Norris by more than 20 seconds.
Verstappen started second but took control of the race in the very first turn when Norris made an aggressive move to cut in front of him at the start but wound up sliding wide of the turn in his McLaren. Verstappen moved to the lead and George Russell darted past Norris into second.
“I made the mistake in Turn 1, that cost me,” Norris said. “Sometimes a good result is second and scoring some points.”
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