The third edition of the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered its most dramatic weekend yet, combining a dominant drive from Max Verstappen, a title-altering double disqualification for McLaren, an F1 Academy championship coronation, star-studded entertainment, and an avalanche of post-race controversy that immediately reshaped the 2025 championship fight. Under the neon glare of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, a sold-out crowd watched the 3.8-mile layout produce another year of high-speed chaos as Verstappen scored his second win in Vegas and Mercedes rookie Doriane Pin clinched the F1 Academy title.
From the moment the lights went out, the event lived up to its growing reputation as one of Formula 1’s most unpredictable spectacles. Verstappen seized the lead in the opening corner when Lando Norris over-defended into Turn 1 and ran wide, allowing the Red Bull driver to slip through. From there, Verstappen settled into complete control, stretching his advantage to a massive 20.741 seconds by the checkered flag, the largest winning margin in Las Vegas Grand Prix history. The victory was not only his eighth win on American soil but also the 125th podium of his 231-race career, delivered in the 150th Grand Prix of Red Bull’s Honda collaboration. It also extended his current podium streak to eight races, the third-longest run of his career, and snapped a seven-race stretch of pole-to-victory results that had dominated the season.
What seemed like a straightforward championship blow to Verstappen soon spiraled into one of the season’s biggest twists. Norris crossed the line in second, with teammate Oscar Piastri fourth, a result that kept the McLaren driver comfortably ahead in the standings. But hours later, everything changed when both McLarens were disqualified after post-race inspection found excessive wear on the rear skid blocks. The FIA determined that Norris’ skid measured below the legal nine-millimeter minimum on two points and Piastri’s did so on three. McLaren argued unexpected porpoising, limited practice time, and accidental floor damage, but the FIA ruled that disqualification was the only penalty available under the regulations.
The team later apologized to both drivers, noting that the wear was unintentional and that no deliberate attempt was made to break the rules. Norris admitted frustration but immediately shifted his focus to Qatar, while Piastri said losing all points after a strong weekend was difficult to accept. Before their exclusion, Norris would have collected his eighteenth podium in twenty-two starts this season, while Piastri would have continued his streak of finishes just outside the top three, marking his sixth consecutive race without a podium.
The consequences were enormous. Norris’ lead in the Drivers’ Championship shrank from thirty points over Piastri to just twenty-four, with both Piastri and Verstappen now tied on 366 points. With only two races left, all three contenders are now separated by a razor-thin margin, setting up one of the closest championship finales in years.
Behind Verstappen, Mercedes executed one of its most complete team performances of the season. George Russell inherited second after Norris’ disqualification, marking his ninth podium of the year and securing a guaranteed fourth place in the championship, matching his career best. Russell had battled a steering issue from lap five, the same problem he encountered in qualifying, but managed it well enough to stay in contention until his second-stint push overheated the tires.
His rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli delivered one of the standout drives of the weekend. Starting seventeenth on the grid, the young Italian ran the final forty-eight laps on a single set of hard tires, climbing into the top five and battling Oscar Piastri in the closing stages. A five-second penalty for a false start briefly dropped him to fifth on the road, but the McLaren disqualifications elevated him to a podium finish. His remarkable tire management kept Mercedes in the mix and helped him secure one of the best results of his emerging career.
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Ferrari endured another difficult weekend, beginning with a disastrous wet qualifying session that left Charles Leclerc ninth and Lewis Hamilton twentieth. But both drivers mounted impressive fightbacks. Leclerc surged through the field with bold passes on Ollie Bearman, Piastri, and Isack Hadjar, eventually finishing just one tenth away from a podium after Antonelli’s time penalty. Hamilton, starting from the last row, executed a long first stint on the hard tire before switching to mediums. He salvaged points despite describing the weekend as one of the most challenging of his year.
Further down the order, Williams enjoyed a rare highlight as Carlos Sainz finished fifth, securing the team’s first Grand Prix points since Singapore. Racing Bulls celebrated another milestone with Isack Hadjar’s sixth place, their best finish ever in Las Vegas. Sauber also made history as Nico Hulkenberg’s seventh-place result delivered the team’s first points at the event. Hulkenberg now has eight points finishes this season. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Hamilton and Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto were involved in separate early incidents with Lance Stroll, who retired on the first lap for the fifth time in his career, while Bortoleto recorded his second consecutive first-lap retirement.
Off the track, Las Vegas delivered the most ambitious entertainment program ever seen at a Formula 1 event. More than a dozen global performers appeared across multiple fan zones, including headliners T-Pain, MGK, Zedd, Shaggy, Dillon Francis, SOFI TUKKER, and Lauv, while Louis Tomlinson, Kane Brown, DJ Pee Wee, Kaskade, Steve Aoki and others performed exclusive pre- and post-race sets. All twenty drivers appeared at the Heineken Stage for Q and A sessions and autograph signings.
The Disney partnership arrived in full force, highlighted by Mickey Mouse taking center stage for a Bellagio Fountains performance featuring pyrotechnics and water choreography, while the Disneyland Band performed the national anthem on the grid. The event also introduced the collaboration between Hello Kitty and F1 Academy, bringing themed grandstands, interactive activations, and exclusive merchandise tied to the championship finale. Mercedes driver Doriane Pin clinched the F1 Academy title in Las Vegas, capping off the first time the all-female series concluded on a Formula 1 street circuit.
Las Vegas leaned into its identity with a staggering lineup of activations across the Strip Circuit. Fans could explore a neon graffiti wall, silent discos, a human claw machine, hydration labs, a Mercedes vehicle display, a giant Heineken trophy tower, live mural painting, a chess exhibition with grandmasters, and a host of immersive displays including pit wall experiences, simulators, and a preview of the upgraded F1 X 4D Theater coming to Grand Prix Plaza. A drivable full-scale LEGO 1950s Cadillac built from more than four hundred thousand bricks chauffeured Verstappen, Russell, and Lando Norris to the podium, driven by Terry Crews.
Hospitality again set a new standard. The Paddock Club offered elevated dining, rooftop circuit views, and exclusive driver access. The Skybox delivered Rat Pack-inspired luxury above the Heineken Main Grandstand. The Turn 3 Club catered to fans seeking all-inclusive comfort and prime racing views. The Wynn Grid Club, perched above the Paddock, offered panoramic terraces and elite service, while the Bellagio Fountain Club provided the closest vantage point to the racing action and the winner’s stage.
Community engagement remained a major focus, with the Grand Prix hosting a STEM-centered Community Day for local middle-school students and welcoming Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada for a Women in Motorsport discovery workshop.
As the dust settled on a weekend packed with drama, innovation, and entertainment, the championship narrative flipped on its head. Verstappen’s dominant victory, originally overshadowed by Norris’ on-track resilience, suddenly became the critical lifeline keeping his title hopes intact. What looked like a widening gap in the standings evaporated overnight, setting up a three-way showdown that could stretch to the final lap of the season.
The Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix returns November 19–21, 2026, but after a weekend like this, the countdown has already begun.