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It’s Saturday night in Sin City, 9pm local time. One hour until lights out. Walking out of the media centre, across Tuscany Suites and Casino car park and up through the various security checkpoints, you arrive at the highly-coveted, yet strangely downplayed open space that is the Formula 1 paddock. Halfway down, between the garages of Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo, lies the grid access lane: a portal to the chaos forthcoming. There is a chill in the air. A cool 15C temperature which, told all week, is about to play havoc with tyres in the 50 laps ahead. A pause for breath and then the steel-faced American bodyguard gives the go-ahead. On you stroll, pretending you belong here. Welcome to the curiously flummoxing experience that is the F1 pre-race grid. And this is not any old grid. This is Las Vegas: F1’s newest super-venue, where no multi-million-dollar expense has been spared (save a manhole cover or two). In the near-distance are 20 cars all lined up in order, with at least a dozen mechanics and engineers per car. And in the gaps in-between lie everyone else – the VIPs, the executives and the media – relishing or reeling in the madness of it all. Forty minutes until lights out. Effectively, there are two choices as a grid bystander: stay at the front of the pack, scrummaged in the melee to catch a glimpse of the A-listers, or head speedily to the back of the start-finish straight to rise up for air. Your route? By any means necessary. Down the middle, tiptoeing down the sides, most likely a zigzagging of both. Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll trots down alongside his wife to the back where his son Lance starts in 19th. He exchanges a joke with Sky Sports grid walk pioneer Martin Brundle: “Don’t bother me today!” he says. Brundle, sporting a striking dark blue jacket for Vegas’ F1 reincarnation, laughs as he awaits his cue from a producer in his ear. This is his terrain. He may well hate this, but Brundle is now best known for his memorable grid-walk encounters as opposed to his 15-year racing career. It started in 1997, when ITV first gained the rights from the BBC for F1 in the UK and executive producer Neil Dunacson first floated the idea. Before that, attempts to encapsulate the pre-race frivolities to audiences at home were caught up in old-school Formula One Management red-tape. Yet as Bernie Ecclestone took the sport into the 21st century so the broadcasting access expanded – and Martin’s grid walk era was born. He was said to be reluctant at first. Now it is his unorthodox home away from home. A plethora of TV companies have followed suit. Today, we’ll let Martin and the rest of them get on with it. It is a striking juxtaposition of the grid: while the pressure is high on broadcasters to keep viewers entertained with minute-by-minute soundbites, the written media can stand back and absorb this whole… thing. Whatever this is. Mulling around, with no real purpose other than the process of mulling around. Looking at the grandstands to the side, ticket-holding F1 fans record and capture every moment and you think to yourself in the real, morally just world, they’re probably more deserving of this spot than you. Nonetheless, on you go. Engineers sit in the cockpit, toying with the complex intricacies of these 220mph machines, revving the engines so brashly it is hard to hear yourself speak. It is a baffling mish-mash of car-staring, celebrity-glancing and photograph-taking. “Portrait or landscape?” I ask one VIP couple, who request a photo in front of Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri. “Let’s do both” comes the response. Those “very important people” are signified with a pink pass dangling around their neck. But the real celebs are simply identifiable by the hordes of people around them, people desperate for that picture which will deliver hundreds upon thousands of likes on Instagram. They come in all shapes and sizes: DJ Steve Aoki, model Paris Hilton, LIV rebel golfer Ian Poulter. And, towering menacingly over them all, seven-foot-plus NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal. Fifteen minutes until lights out. Stumbling towards the front, a gap opens up around the outside of Charles Leclerc’s pole-sitting Ferrari, before it’s blocked off again. Instead, head down, you attempt to carve your own racing line through the chaos down the middle and bang: you’re in the shot of Brundle’s conversation with one star or another. Quick, act natural: hurry on through. As is procedure, the home national anthem of the Star-Spangled Banner rings out. A loud horn then blares indicating a quickening of proceedings. Walking back into midfield again, you saunter past FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Is there any occasion he does not miss? Today I feel… Formula 1. Bumping into recent interviewee Willy T Ribbs – “howdy partner” – is the last brief interaction. Any conversation on the grid is usually short-lived but now, 10 minutes until lights out, time’s up. FIA personnel rush the lot of you away, herding the cattle to the exit-door. The process now is a delicate balancing act: walk slowly enough to take in every last second yet quick enough to avoid an ear-clipping from the racing bouncers. Mechanics frantically push tyre trolleys through the crowds back to the garages; one Williams staffer swears under his breath. Las Vegas 2023 is a far cry from the tranquillity of yesteryear at Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps. Eventually the grid is cleared and, quick as a flash, it's over. You can breathe. The drivers can breathe. Brief respite before the action out on track. Sharing the spotlight with the stars of yesterday and tomorrow is entertaining. A privilege. A taste of a different world, even if it is as a supporting act loitering in the background. Now though, the food chain is restored. The unparalleled uniqueness and flashiness of the Formula 1 grid is perhaps unmatched in world sport. For half an hour you walk with the stars, real and fake, and then return to normality. But after a build-up saturated in speed and splendour, lights out is finally imminent. You’ve had your time: back to the laptop and coffee machine you go. Read More Christian Horner suggests Las Vegas Grand Prix solution to ‘brutal’ schedule Las Vegas Grand Prix dazzles on debut with usual dose of Max Verstappen reality How Formula 1 cracked America Christian Horner suggests Las Vegas Grand Prix solution to ‘brutal’ schedule ‘It happens’: F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans F1 2023 official calendar: All 23 Grand Prix this year

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Christian Horner has suggested that there are “lessons to learn” from Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas after describing the Sin City schedule as “brutal”. Red Bull enjoyed a successful weekend in Nevada, with Max Verstappen fighting back to secure a thrilling 18th win of the season. A glamorous occasion marked F1’s first race in Las Vegas in more than three decades as the sport sought to capitalise on a popularity boom in the United States with a third date on the calendar. But not all ran smoothly - second practice was delayed into the very early hours of Friday morning after a loose manhole cover forced the cancellation of the first session on the street circuit, while a race start time of 10pm local time also proved unpopular. And while recognising a need to satisfy global audiences with suitable start times, Horner believes that the schedule should be reconsidered ahead of next season’s grand prix. “There are going to be many lessons to learn,” the Red Bull team principal explained. “One of the things to look at is the running schedule because it has been brutal for the team and all the men and women behind the scenes. “Everybody is leaving Vegas slightly f*****! One way or another it has been a brutal weekend for everyone behind the scenes, and I think we need to look at how we can improve that for the future. “I think run it a little earlier in the evening because you are never going to keep every television audience totally happy. This is an American race. If you run it 8pm in the evening or something like that it would just be a bit more comfortable for the men and women working behind the scenes.” Verstappen’s victory was one of his best of a season that the Dutchman has dominated. The Red Bull driver beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Sergio Perez in a captivating three-way fight for first as a much-anticipated event delivered thrills on and off the track. F1 and Las Vegas have signed a ten-year deal in the hope of establishing the city as a perpetual location for the motorsport, but Frederic Vasseur, Leclerc’s team principal at Ferrari, agrees with Horner that the timings require a rethink. “If we have to improve, it’s perhaps the timing,” Vasseur told Motorsport.com. ““It’s not an easy one to find, if you want to have a decent timing for Asia, Europe, East Coast, West Coast. “In the past, we had no issue because F1 was just for the European people, and we had to stick to the European timing, and it was okay. “Now it’s a worldwide project, and it’s much more difficult to find something fitting with the expectations of the 24-hour zone. But we will adjust it.” The Formula 1 season concludes in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Read More ‘It happens’: F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans F1 2023 official calendar: All 23 Grand Prix this year Carlos Sainz handed ‘ridiculous’ penalty after drain cover crash at Las Vegas GP Five times a manhole cover stopped F1 in its tracks Las Vegas Sphere wears giant F1 helmet ahead of inaugural grand prix F1 clothing craze sweeps retailers ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

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Formula One’s Las Vegas gamble came up trumps with one of the best shows of the season as Max Verstappen – chief critic of the £500million race – claimed victory on Saturday night. Here, the PA news agency dissects the key questions surrounding F1’s maiden extravaganza in Sin City. Did the Las Vegas Grand Prix live up to the hype? Formula One bosses were in crisis management mode in the early hours of Friday morning. First practice had been abandoned after eight minutes, and the delayed second running – which finished at 4am – was played out in front of empty grandstands. It was a catastrophic look for the event which F1 had billed for months as the greatest show on Earth. By the close of Saturday’s thrill-a-minute 50-lap race – which saw the lead change hand on five occasions – F1 chiefs were celebrating a triumph. Sin City had delivered on the hype, providing a 48-hour turnaround to savour for the sport’s relieved American owners’ Liberty Media. What went wrong in practice? A faulty drain cover tore a hole through Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. First practice was scrapped and fans were kicked out after witnessing only a handful of laps. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali stopped short of an apology, while the organisers did not offer a refund, but a 200 US dollar (£160) voucher to spend on merchandise instead. The goodwill offer, which largely went down like a lead balloon, did not take into consideration money spent on flights and hotels. A lawsuit has since been filed seeking damages for the 35,000 spectators who were left feeling aggrieved. What were the other gripes? The scheduling on the Strip left much to be desired. Following the 4am finish to Thursday night’s delayed practice, qualifying concluded just after 1am, with Justin Bieber waving the chequered flag on Saturday’s race shortly before midnight. A jet-lagged paddock was forced to adjust to an effective Japanese time zone on America’s west coast. For three straight days, weary mechanics downed tools as the sun rose before they were required to return to the track only a handful of hours later. The travelling circus will now head to Abu Dhabi – a mind-boggling time swing of 12 hours – to do it all again for the sport’s fifth race in six frantic weeks. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did not mince his words when he said: “Everybody’s leaving Vegas slightly f*****.” Will F1 make changes? The sport is already locked into a 24-round calendar next season which sees the Qatar Grand Prix immediately follow the race in Vegas. The running on the Strip took place at unsociable hours to avoid road closures during the day. F1 executives will need to reach an agreement with the city to bring forward the track schedule for its future visits. So, was it a success? Verstappen spent much of the weekend pouring scorn over the event, labelling it “99 per cent show and one per cent sport”. He also likened it to English football’s National League. But even prior to the triple world champion’s derisory comments, there had been plenty of negativity – much of it unwarranted. A former F1 driver said he had been bamboozled as to why the event was proving so unpopular before an engine had been fired up in anger. Of course, the celebrity-fuelled razzmatazz isn’t for everyone – particularly F1’s traditionalists – but there is little doubt that the race captured Vegas’ imagination. And as F1 continues to build on its sudden popularity surge across the Pond, Las Vegas – whether Verstappen likes it or not – will remain front and centre of Liberty’s plans. Read More Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lando Norris posts update from hospital after Las Vegas crash Las Vegas Grand Prix dazzles on debut with usual dose of Max Verstappen reality ‘One of the best races’: Lewis Hamilton says Las Vegas GP proved critics wrong

Lando Norris is “feeling okay” after he was discharged from hospital following his frightening crash at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The McLaren driver slammed into a concrete wall at 180mph after losing control of his car on the third lap of the inaugural race. The 24-year-old British driver was taken to the University Medical Centre in Las Vegas for “precautionary investigations”. But Norris is expected to be fit for next weekend’s season-concluding race in Abu Dhabi and McLaren are confident he will be given the green light by the FIA’s medical team. Norris posted on Instagram and said: “Rough day. Big impact. But feeling okay! Thanks for all the messages. See you next weekend.” In a post-race press release from McLaren, the driver also said: “An unfortunate end to our Las Vegas GP weekend. I just bottomed out on the restart, lost the rear and hit the wall. “Not the way we wanted the weekend to end. Big thanks go to the medical staff for checking me over, and to the team for the work they’ll now put in on the car. One week to reset and go again for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “The most important thing today is that Lando is in good condition after what looked like a scary accident in a very fast section of this circuit.” Additional reporting from PA Read More Lando Norris explained issues with Las Vegas circuit before crashing at Grand Prix F1’s Lando Norris expresses Las Vegas Grand Prix track concerns moments before crash Lando Norris endures heavy crash at start of Las Vegas Grand Prix

Lando Norris is expected to be fit for next weekend’s season-concluding race in Abu Dhabi after he was discharged from hospital following his crash in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 24-year-old British driver was transported to University Medical Centre – four miles east of the Las Vegas Strip – after his 180mph shunt on the third lap. Norris lost control of his McLaren through Turn 11 before thudding backwards into the concrete wall. Norris was then a passenger as his machine bounced off the tyre wall before skidding sideways along the track – narrowly avoiding his team-mate Oscar Piastri – and then slamming head-on into the Armco at Turn 12. Norris’ car was wrecked in the high-speed smash, and he appeared to be winded as he breathlessly reported he was “all good” over the radio. Norris emerged from his cockpit before making his way to the medical car. He was subsequently transferred to hospital for “precautionary investigations”. Norris was able to return to the paddock in the early hours of Sunday morning, with McLaren confident he will be given the green light by the FIA’s medical team for the race in Abu Dhabi. “An unfortunate end to our Las Vegas GP weekend,” said Norris in McLaren’s post-race press release. “I just bottomed out on the restart, lost the rear and hit the wall. “Not the way we wanted the weekend to end. Big thanks go to the medical staff for checking me over, and to the team for the work they’ll now put in on the car. One week to reset and go again for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “The most important thing today is that Lando is in good condition after what looked like a scary accident in a very fast section of this circuit.” Read More Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion

Lewis Hamilton took aim at Max Verstappen’s criticism of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after lauding the star-studded race as one of the best of the year. The lead changed hands on multiple occasions on a wild and incident-packed night in Sin City. But it was Verstappen, doom-monger-in-chief, who prevailed to take his 18th win from the 21 rounds so far. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc denied Red Bull a one-two finish after he passed Sergio Perez on the final lap to finish runner-up. The build-up to Formula One’s £500million debut race on the Strip had been mired in controversy. Verstappen accused the sport’s bosses of making him look like a clown following Wednesday night’s Superbowl-style Opening Ceremony. And in the wake of an embarrassing practice washout, the triple world champion compared the event to the fifth tier of English football. He was then effusive in his praise for the sport’s traditional European venues in Monaco, Monza and Spa. But Las Vegas’ 3.8-mile street venue served up a thrill-a-minute classic which culminated in Verstappen passing Leclerc for victory with 13 laps remaining. Hamilton endured an arduous night on the Strip following a collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The prang dropped him to 19th and last. Hamilton fought back to seventh but he can no longer catch Perez in the race for second in the championship. For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong Lewis Hamilton Yet, despite his own personal disappointment, the seven-time world champion hailed the Saturday night sizzler as a breakthrough moment for the sport. “For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong,” said Hamilton in an apparent swipe against Verstappen. “The race was great, and it was one of the best races. There have been so many people who have been negative about the show, and all that. But just let it be and see how it goes. “And it was huge. There has been criticism about having three races in the United States, and people talking about bringing back old classics from Europe. But this has provided a better race than most of the tracks we go to. Hats off to the people who ran the show. “I cannot wait to come back and hopefully have a better race next year. I am really grateful to Vegas for having us.” The inaugural event – billed by F1 as the greatest show on earth – got off to the worst possible start when Carlos Sainz collided with a drain cover and first practice was abandoned after just eight minutes. Furious fans were ejected from the venue before second practice concluded at 4am on Friday. But F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media were celebrating a triumph in the early hours of Sunday morning after stars of stage and scene flocked to the entertainment capital of the world to witness a fascinating race. Verstappen took centre stage after he fought back from a five-second penalty – for pushing pole-sitter Leclerc off the road at the first corner – and a collision with George Russell as they duelled for fifth. Russell was penalised with a five-second penalty of his own by the stewards. The all-conquering Verstappen made his way ahead of Perez, and then Leclerc on laps 36 and 37 respectively to land a fine win. Wearing his Elvis-themed Red Bull overalls, Verstappen belted out a rendition of the King’s Viva Las Vegas from inside his cockpit after taking the chequered flag – waved by pop star Justin Bieber. Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez – who all enjoyed spells leading the race – were then whisked off in a limousine to conduct their post-race interviews in front of the Bellagio before the hotel’s iconic fountains burst into life and a fireworks show lit up the night sky. But was Verstappen ready to row back on his earlier disapproval? “I always expected it to be a good race because there are long straights, and low-speed corners, and you don’t lose a lot of downforce so that has never been my issue,” he said, largely dodging the question. “Today was fun and that is the only thing I want to say about it. I hope everyone enjoyed it. “(Team principal) Christian (Horner) put me on the spot so I couldn’t leave him hanging. I had to sing. But I need some lessons so I am going to go to Geri (Horner) and book an appointment.” But more pressingly for Verstappen will be next weekend’s concluding round of this marathon 22-race season in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Read More Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion ‘One of the best races’: Lewis Hamilton says Las Vegas GP proved critics wrong Las Vegas Grand Prix dazzles on debut with usual dose of Max Verstappen reality F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen wins as Leclerc overtakes Perez on last lap

Beyond all the hype and razzle-dazzle beaming from all corners of this bright-light epicentre in the middle of the Nevada desert, what Formula 1 needed from their new flagship event on the Las Vegas strip was an entertaining race. Especially after starting on such unimpressive footing a few nights ago. And contrary to many of the processions in this one-sided season, the entertainment capital of the world did deliver on Saturday night. Don’t be fooled though: the top spot of the podium was no surprise. It has got to the stage now where Max Verstappen is simply inevitable. In this breed of Red Bull car, he remains lightyears ahead of the other 19 drivers behind him. On Saturday night – on a circuit he described as “National League” standard after qualifying – he was hit with a five-second penalty. Then he, unusually, spurned his first set of tyres as pole-sitter Charles Leclerc retook the lead. The Dutchman then collided with George Russell in the midfield. Yet no circumstance is too damaging to recover from and, by lap 36 of 50, Verstappen was in the lead and clear. “Viva Las Vegas!” he screeched over team radio at the end, his mood unsurprisingly glowing following an 18th victory of the season. But at least Leclerc gave the 105,000-strong crowd something to cheer at the finale. In front of hospitality boxes at the Bellagio Fountains costing $12,000 for the weekend, the Ferrari man boldly dived down the inside to take second place from the helpless Sergio Perez on the final lap; the second race running that Perez has dropped a spot at the death. It was the absorbing end Vegas executives craved. And needed. A race week so long amped up to the max, from Wednesday’s opening ceremony to UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer’s cringey driver introductions before lights out, made headlines for all the wrong reasons on day one. The fallout from a loose drain cover on the mesmerising strip section of the track eight minutes into practice was mammoth. The reaction from F1 and LVGP did not help their image either, given their refusal to dish out refunds which should have been obligatory. But to some extent, it was all about the main event. Much like memorable fight nights at the MGM Grand and beyond in this city, 10pm on Saturday night is when the curtains are finally drawn back and the sporting show itself delivers its masterpiece. F1 provided its usual jolt of stardom in the build-up, with David Beckham, Usain Bolt and Kylie Minogue among the numerous A-list celebrities on the grid. But when it came down to the racing, this 17-turn circuit with the second-longest straight on the calendar did not disappoint. There were two safety cars – a usual tool of adding intrigue – after Lando Norris’ early crash and Verstappen’s collision with Russell. There were three leaders, all of whom had time to dream that they would be the first Vegas winner since Italian driver Michele Alboreto won the Caesars Palace car park race in 1982. Safety car No 2 – ironically caused by debris on track following Verstappen’s tangle with Russell – derailed Leclerc’s chances as he stayed out on relatively new hard tyres, while the Red Bull pairing pitted for fresh rubber. The process of heating the tyres afterwards came too slow for the Monegasque and it looked as though another Red Bull one-two was a formality. But, just in time, he found the requisite grip and speed to make one of the overtakes of the season just before the chequered flag. His emotions, he admitted afterwards, were mixed. “On one hand I’m extremely happy with today’s performance, I didn’t leave anything on the table,” Leclerc said. “On the other hand, obviously disappointed because I really believe without this safety car the win was ours.” TOP-10 - LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 1. Max Verstappen 2. Charles Leclerc 3. Sergio Perez 4. Esteban Ocon 5. Lance Stroll 6. Carlos Sainz 7. Lewis Hamilton 8. George Russell 9. Fernando Alonso 10. Oscar Piastri Leclerc’s wait for a first win since July 2022 – and he’s had eight pole positions in that time – goes on while Perez secured second in the world championship despite that final dropped spot: the first time Red Bull have ever claimed the top two positions. Further down the order, Esteban Ocon secured an impressive fourth place for Alpine from 16th on the grid while Lance Stroll completed the top five. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Russell came only seventh and eighth respectively as they draw to a close a season to forget, with just one more unlikely attempt to salvage a win in Abu Dhabi next week. But for Vegas – a city completely changed and reordered for this first race of a scheduled 10 – the final act was, finally, worthy of the hysteria. It was up there with the best races of the year, alongside Singapore and Austin. There are plenty of features to be improved, though. The top three drivers all spoke in the aftermath about an earlier start time, as well as perhaps a change of month given the ludicrous time-zone switch now to the Middle East. Logistically, the smoothness of proceedings has been questionable. Yet the glistening glow of the views overhead sparkled and, on race day, the action on the city’s streets matched it. All Sin City, and the sport, needs now is a proper battle at the top. Read More Lando Norris explained issues with Las Vegas circuit before crashing at Grand Prix F1’s Lando Norris expresses Las Vegas Grand Prix track concerns moments before crash Lando Norris endures heavy crash at start of Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen wins as Leclerc overtakes Perez on last lap What Charles Leclerc needs to claim victory from pole in first Las Vegas Grand Prix Charles Leclerc lights up Las Vegas to claim pole position for Ferrari

F1 driver Lando Norris outlined his concerns about some potential issues with the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit ahead of the race mere minutes before his heavy crash on Sunday. In a grid walk interview with Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle, Norris was asked what he thought of the track and how it feels to drive on to which he replied: “Pretty dreadful. “Just because it’s the least high temp we have had all weekend. Just because you’re pushing on an out-lap. Normally you don’t push on an out-lap. “It didn’t feel great, it should come back towards us. The track should improve a lot throughout the race, it’s a lot more windy and I’m at the back of the grid. “There’s a lot of things going against it but it should be a good race.” Norris, who started 15th on the grid after a disappointing qualifying, lost control of his car on turn 12 and spun into the wall with sparks flying from his rear end. The Brit steered right, lost a tyre in the impact with the wall and ended up in the barriers over to the side of the track. Norris managed to let his engineer know that he was okay before the safety car was deployed. The McLaren driver was then transferred to the circuit medical centre, before being taken to the university medical centre for further precautionary investigations. Max Verstappen went on to claim victory in an entertaining first-ever race on the strip in Sin City beating Charles Leclerc who had started the race on pole. Sergio Perez looked to have sealed a P2 for Red Bull before Leclerc overtook him on the final lap. It was the second race in a row that Perez has dropped a position on the final lap, after Fernando Alonso denied him a podium last time out in Brazil. Norris’ team-mate, Oscar Piastri, secured one world championship point with a P10 finish. Read More F1’s Lando Norris expresses Las Vegas Grand Prix track concerns moments before crash Lando Norris endures heavy crash at start of Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen wins as Leclerc overtakes Perez on last lap

Max Verstappen overcame a five-second penalty, a collision with George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to claim a historic Las Vegas Grand Prix win. On a wild night in Sin City, where the lead of the race changed hands on multiple occasions, it was Verstappen who prevailed to take his 18th win from the 21 rounds so far with popstar Justin Bieber waving the chequered flag. Charles Leclerc passed Sergio Perez on the final lap to finish runner-up, while British driver Lando Norris was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after he crashed out on the third lap at 180mph. The build-up to Formula One’s debut race on the Strip has been mired in controversy following Thursday’s practice washout and Verstappen comparing the Las Vegas race to football’s National League. But the 3.8-mile venue served up a brilliant race which culminated in Verstappen passing Leclerc for the lead on lap 37 of 50. A celebrity-jammed grid dispersed moments before the lights went out in Sin City, and it was Verstappen who raced away from his marks to gazump the pole-sitter into the opening bend. However, Verstappen’s move courted the attention of the stewards with Leclerc forced off the track. Behind, Fernando Alonso’s spin triggered a pile-up as Perez tagged Valtteri Bottas. Carlos Sainz also thudded into Lewis Hamilton, but the latter escaped without damage. The virtual safety car was deployed following the first-corner chaos and when the race resumed three laps later, Norris was in the wall. Norris lost control of his McLaren through Turn 11 and was soon a passenger as he thudded backwards into the concrete wall amid a flurry of orange sparks, before the car righted itself and Norris went head-on into the run-off barriers at Turn 12. Norris’s machine was wrecked in the high-speed smash, but the 23-year-old was on the radio to report he was okay, before he made his way into the medical car. Out came the safety car and Verstappen was dealt a five-second penalty for forcing Leclerc off the road at the first bend. “Yeah, that is fine,” he said over the radio. “Send them my regards.” Verstappen might have felt he would have the sufficient speed in his Red Bull to open up a gap to Leclerc, but the Ferrari man was soon in his mirrors. And on lap 16 the Monegasque swept by to take the lead. In came Verstappen for new tyres. Further back, and Hamilton, who had been on the charge, sustained a puncture following a collision with Oscar Piastri. The seven-time world champion limped back to the pits for repairs, but he emerged 19th and last, and a credible result on American soil was in tatters. In the other Mercedes, Russell, now ahead of Verstappen following the Dutchman’s penalty, had the Red Bull swarming in his mirrors. Verstappen threw his Red Bull underneath a surprised Russell at Turn 12 and the British driver turned into his rival as they duelled for a net third. Russell made contact with Verstappen’s Red Bull with debris falling off both of their machines. The safety car was out for a second time and Leclerc took the lead with Perez moving up to second by virtue of a free pit stop. When the safety car came back in, Perez passed Leclerc to take the lead on lap 32 while Verstappen was also on the move as he swatted Piastri aside for third. Three laps later, and Leclerc was back on top after fighting his way back past Perez. A lap later, Verstappen moved ahead of Perez on the Las Vegas Boulevard for a second, and then on lap 37, he slung his Red Bull underneath Leclerc’s scarlet machine for the lead. Perez looked to have completed a one-two for Red Bull when he made his way ahead of Leclerc with seven laps to go only for the Monegasque to fight his way back past on the last tour. Russell crossed the line in fourth, but was demoted to eighth after he was hit with a a five-second penalty for his collision with Verstappen. Esteban Ocon took fourth, one place ahead of Lance Stroll with Carlos Sainz sixth and Hamilton seventh. Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez were whisked away in a limousine to the front of the Bellagio Hotel to conduct their post-race interviews. “It was a tough one,” said Verstappen after claiming his 53rd career win to move into third on the all-time list alongside Sebastian Vettel. “I tried to go for it at the start. But I ran out of grip and the stewards gave me a penalty which put me on the backfoot. “I had to pass a few cars to get into the battle and it was definitely a lot of fun.” Leclerc said: “What a race. I enjoyed it so much. I am disappointed to finish second but that was the best we could do.” Read More Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen wins as Leclerc overtakes Perez on last lap Lando Norris endures heavy crash at start of Las Vegas Grand Prix Kylie Minogue dances trackside as she enjoys F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix