No surprise, but a surprising double success story and the coronation of the world champion took place at the Grand Prix of Las Vegas.
George Russell got off to a perfect start, but not Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, who were overtaken by Charles Leclerc within two corners. Max Verstappen also had a strong start, but got caught in traffic and thus "only" managed to work his way up to fourth place. We quickly reached the first pit stop, but Fernando Alonso's start on the soft compound didn't go particularly well, forcing the Spaniard to change on the fourth lap. In the meantime, Sainz had reclaimed second place from Leclerc and wanted to follow Russell. However, the Briton had already built up such a large lead that it was clear this would be enough until the end of the race. Leclerc struggled, but Verstappen easily overtook him, understandably fighting not only for a better position but also for his crowning world champion. Gasly, on the other hand, had no reason to fight anymore; his Alpine was smoking...
By this point, all drivers had already completed their pit stops, the battle lines had hardened, and it was also clear that two changes would be the effective tactic. We could only talk about relevant tire management in the case of the Mercedes team; everyone else was constantly struggling with grip and getting the tires up into the operating range. Ultimately, Mercedes, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the order of victory, won the race in Las Vegas convincingly, easily overtaking the Scuderia Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
But perhaps more importantly, while making sporting history, Max Verstappen successfully defended his title and became world champion for the fourth time behind the wheel of Red Bull Racing.
