Postcards from… Las Vegas

Never before was the event more important than the actual result. The Las Vegas Grand Prix became part of Formula 1 history as a template for everything that's really needed for the American public to take Formula 1 to its hearts: an amazing show, both and off the track.

Expectations were ultra-high heading into the event and on the whole they were met, so it was a winning bet.

Certainly there are still many things to fix, even beyond the errant manhole covers: a problem that has previously occurred at traditional street circuits such as Monaco as well as permanent ones like Sepang. In particular, the race timetable turned everyone involved into human vampires, but leaving all that aside, the Las Vegas Grand Prix had an unprecedented impact on the sport.

When Liberty Media took Formula 1 over, one of their long-term objectives was to make each grand prix a sort of ‘Superbowl' in every country. And that's exactly what happened in Las Vegas. It's not a model that can necessarily be replicated anywhere else, as each grand prix has its own personality that's influenced by the history and atmosphere of the individual event. But this is the fundamental strength of modern Formula 1: it's able to touch everyone all over the world, from hard core fans to new enthusiasts who just want to be entertained for a couple of hours. Las Vegas truly had something for everyone.

Max Verstappen underwent a full conversion. In the two days before the race, the three-time world champion roundly criticised the event, but on the slowing down lap even he was singing ‘Viva Las Vegas' – as made famous by Elvis Presley, adding to the headlines being made about the grand prix in print and online.

Judging by the determination he showed from the start – just ask Charles Leclerc, on the receiving end – Max was as committed as ever, cementing his reputation as a man who takes no prisoners. The Dutchman had to serve a penalty, but he also had a stroke of luck in the form of a neutralisation that came at exactly the wrong time for Leclerc, his main rival for the win. And this is not the first time that fortune has favoured the winner rather than necessarily the brave: bravery is in any case a given on a track where the drivers constantly graze the walls at high speed. The Las Vegas win came with an extra bonus for Verstappen, allowing him to join Sebastian Vettel in third on the list of all-time race winners (53) and also giving Red Bull the record for the most wins (20) in a single season, overhauling Mercedes on 19.

Charles Leclerc was able to leave Las Vegas with a smile on his face, despite again failing to convert pole position into a win. That's only happened four times for him out of 23 poles, so it's becoming something of an unfortunate trope.

However, this was the closest that the Monegasque driver came to victory all season. The neutralisation caused by the collision between George Russell and Max Verstappen essentially gave the two Red Bull drivers a free pit stop; disadvantaging Leclerc, who had changed tyres only five laps earlier. Charles responded instantly to being overtaken by Perez on lap 32 by getting the Mexican back on lap 35 – but he couldn't do anything about Verstappen when the champion finally loomed in his mirrors. Then came the mistake that allowed Perez to overtake Leclerc once more, but Charles didn't give up and made up for it with a masterful move on the last lap that delivered a well-deserved second place. The best news for Charles and Ferrari though was the overall competitiveness they had shown throughout the weekend, starting from a significant one-two in qualifying (before Sainz was forced to start from 12th due to that penalty caused by the infamous manhole). On paper, the Las Vegas circuit seemed well suited to the characteristics of the SF-23 but nobody really expected the team to be fighting for victory. As a result, the fight for second place in the constructors' championship is now wide open once more, with only four points separating the team from Mercedes – another intriguing element to this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll is not usually a person who radiates happiness in the paddock or the Aston Martin garage, but this time he had a genuine reason to be cheerful. After ending up in a spiral of negativity that even led to rumours about his possible retirement from Formula 1 – having Fernando Alonso as your team mate can't be easy, after all – Lance reacted in the best possible way by putting together two strong results on a pair of demanding tracks like Interlagos and Las Vegas. In Brazil he was somewhat overshadowed by a triumphant podium finish from Alonso after a last-minute duel with Perez. But in Nevada the opposite was true: Stroll started much further down the grid than his team mate but ended up some way in front after the race. Having started plumb last, Stroll eventually finished fifth; taking advantage of the initial safety car after starting on soft tyres, which put him 10th by the end of the first lap. In total, Stroll has taken 26 points from the last four races, nine more than his teammate. That's not enough to definitively turn the tide – Fernando has still scored 200 points so far this year, as opposed to 73 from Lance – but at least it's something for the Canadian to smile about heading into the season finale.

Esteban Ocon staged another brilliant fightback in Las Vegas: after starting 16th, the Frenchman ended up just off the podium. Once again, the performance compared to his team mate Pierre Gasly was probably the most significant aspect. From qualifying to the race, everything turned on its head. On Friday night Gasly had been almost perfect, sealing fifth position, which then became fourth after Sainz's penalty, while Ocon was out in Q1. The two Alpine drivers both stopped once during the grand prix, starting the race on the medium tyre. Esteban took advantage of the chaos at the first corner as best he could, gaining eight positions, while Pierre held position. Gasly was the first to switch to hard tyres on lap 17, followed by his team mate three laps later. Esteban immediately felt more comfortable on the hard compound and soon caught up his team mate – finally getting past on lap 34 after a duel that probably caused a few grey hairs on the pit wall. From there on, Ocon remained firmly in fourth place while Gasly gradually slipped down the order to finish just outside the points. Only four points now separate the two in the driver's championship, in favour of Gasly. There's everything to play for in Abu Dhabi!