As the 2025 Formula 1 season is gearing up to start soon, the long winter break has created a good opportunity to recap the race that decided the World Drivers’ Championship. Looking back on the end of the 2024 season, both the World Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship were competitive in ways fans didn’t experience in 2023.
While the beginning of the season appeared as if it would go the same way, things quickly changed. Ferrari caught up to Red Bull by the Australian Grand Prix, putting real pressure on the team for the first time in over a year.
McLaren followed in their footsteps, bringing the heat to Red Bull once Lando Norris secured his first grand prix win in Miami. This set the tone for the rest of the season: Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari all vying for the Constructors’ Championship.
Norris’ win in Miami set in motion what became his best season in Formula 1 so far, finishing with four wins, 13 podiums, and completing 23 out of 24 races in the points. As he continued to perform, he was thrust into the Drivers’ Championship battle with reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
From the moment fans claimed Norris was in the fight, he was the underdog. Not only would he be battling a three-time world champion in Verstappen, but he had only just achieved his first win. Throughout the season, Norris was playing catch-up, and after a season of ups and downs, he had to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix in order to stay in the fight.
Norris arriving in Las Vegas. Courtesy of McLaren on Instagram
With both the McLarens having such a strong run leading up to Las Vegas, it wasn’t out of the question that both Norris and Oscar Piastri would qualify well. Other than a weather-frenzied race in Brazil, both papaya drivers came into the final triple header of the season pretty strong.
Hopes that Norris could extend the championship battle seemed to dissolve when Norris and Piastri only qualified P6 and P8 respectively. The top three qualifiers were George Russell, Carlos Sainz Jr., and following a fantastic drive in Brazil, Pierre Gasly.
Even though the World Drivers Championship seemed to become clearer, the Constructors’ Championship had everyone on the edge of their seats. Entering the weekend, McLaren was leading with 593 points, followed by Ferrari with 557 and Red Bull with 544. One good weekend – or one bad one – could shake up the top three quite a bit.
After a grueling race, with a couple of retirements, the podium consisted of Russell, Hamilton and Sainz. Directly after, came Charles Leclerc in fourth place, followed by Verstappen in fifth, and Norris and Piastri in sixth and seventh respectively. Hamilton had a fantastic recovery drive, finishing all the way up in P2 after qualifying P10. With both McLarens finishing behind Verstappen and both Ferraris, the Constructors’ grew even closer.
Despite the teams’ battle raging on, the Drivers’ championship came to a close. Since Norris finished behind Verstappen, Verstappen claimed his fourth championship in a row under the lights of the Las Vegas Strip.
The podium finishers rode in a Rolls-Royce to the steps of the Bellagio for post-race interviews. Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase followed in their own Rolls-Royce for Verstappen’s interview about winning his fourth title.
Sainz, Russell, and Hamilton ride to the Bellagio in a Rolls-Royce, followed by Verstappen and Lambiase in their own. Courtesy of espnf1 on Instagram.
After the race, Norris was in good spirits, celebrating the championship win of his friend and likely relieved that the pressure was off his shoulders. Tensions stayed high going into the final two races of the season, with fans anticipating who would win the Constructors’ between McLaren or Ferrari.
With such a strong season performance from Norris, fans are eager to see how his skills match up to other championship contenders in the 2025 season. It’s going to be an invigorating season, no doubt.
I had the opportunity to attend the race in Vegas as my first grand prix, and it was even more exciting than I had imagined. There were countless pop-ups and fan activations along the strip and in hotels.
One of the most anticipated pop-ups was Lewis Hamilton’s collaboration with Tyler, the Creator’s brand Golf Wang to create the Golf +44 shop. In the lobby of the Wynn, the pop-up was artfully designed and full of exclusive apparel and accessories that combined the style of both brands.
The exclusive Golf +44 pop-up was a fan-favorite, with a line out the door almost all day. Courtesy of Reese Dlabach.
Outside the Golf +44 pop-up there was a vast collection of cars throughout the lobby of the Wynn, including McLarens, Ferraris, and a custom Golf +44 Mercedes.
Another activation fans were excited for was the Shoey Bar in front of the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. Former Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was known for drinking a shoey on the podium, and at this bar, fans could do the same. Each drink from the bar came in a limited number of racing boots with a special plastic container on the inside to protect the leather.
Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas was on display along with tires and helmets. Courtesy of Reese Dlabach
One of my favorite stops was The Shops at Crystals where there was a Haas Formula 1 car on display, along with race-worn helmets from both Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. The Haas display was surrounded by an impressive motorsport art collection where the artist, Armin Flossdorf, was live-painting another piece.
Armin Flossdorf was painting a piece of Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing car while surrounded by countless other paintings he had completed. Courtesy of Reese Dlabach
Even though the main event of the weekend was the F1 race, the Ferrari Challenger series also raced on track before the grand prix. I also got tickets to the Las Vegas Fan Experience, where I could walk through the paddock of the Ferrari Challenger teams. It was fascinating to see the mechanics and engineers work on the cars up close.
The paddock for the Ferrari Challenger cars was a fantastic opportunity for fans to get a closer look at the cars and how teams operate. Courtesy of Reese Dlabach
Attending the Las Vegas Grand Prix was an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. Getting to experience the cars on track in person instead of through a screen was incredible, but being able to experience it with countless other motorsports fans is what made it truly amazing. I can’t wait to attend another grand prix!
Edited by Breanna Ebisch
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