Deliver a dud and serious questions would be asked.Įarlier in the weekend, world champion Max Verstappen had labelled the grand prix '99 percent show and 1 percent sport' in one of a series killer lines, seemingly aimed at the jugular of the event.Īnd while there was an awful lot of truth in Verstappen's statement, it was the sport of F1 racing - 1 percent or otherwise - that meant its owners finished up on the huge fortune it had sank into the event. In the days leading up to main event, the focus had been on overinflated ticket prices, disgruntled locals and angry fans, but in the form of a 50-lap grand prix against one of racing's most spectacular backdrops, F1 had one last roll of the dice.ĭeliver a thriller to match the hype and all the disruption to the city and issues along the way could be somehow justified. Transforming the entertainment capital of America into a 3.8-mile racetrack was never going to be straightforward, and after a stuttering start, it felt like F1's $500 million gamble to return to Las Vegas might be a busted flush. How F1 rode its luck to win big in Las Vegasįormula One undoubtedly rode its luck during its four-day residency in Las Vegas yet somehow broke with the city's oldest tradition and came out on top. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser