Las Vegas GP 2025 – Race Recap

Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 – Race Summary and Results

Race Summary

The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, held on November 22 on the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas, delivered dramatic racing under the Sin City lights. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the win in dominant fashion, with Lando Norris second and George Russell third. Verstappen’s victory keeps his title hopes alive, while championship leader Norris left Las Vegas with his lead slightly trimmed. According to official results, Verstappen clocked a race time of 1:21:08.429. Norris finished +20.741 seconds behind, with Russell +23.546s back. Oscar Piastri recovered to fourth (+27.650s) despite early trouble, and Kimi Antonelli was classified fifth (+30.488s) after a post-race penalty. Charles Leclerc (6th) and Carlos Sainz (7th) rounded out the top seven, with Isack Hadjar 8th, Nico Hülkenberg 9th and Lewis Hamilton 10th. (Full results for the top 10 are listed below.)

Verstappen, already a four-time World Champion, seized control on the opening lap. Norris, who had claimed pole position in wet qualifying, lunged to block Verstappen into Turn 1 on the short run but ran wide through the corner. As a result, Verstappen slipped past the McLaren on the next straight. Russell also took advantage; he had slipped past Norris at Turn 3 after Norris lost momentum at Turn 1. From there, Verstappen set a steady pace at the front while Russell briefly pressured him for the lead. Behind them, drama unfolded in the midfield. A collision at Turn 1 eliminated both Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll from contention, and Pierre Gasly spun his Alpine into a 360° early in the lap before recovering. Oscar Piastri was also hit by Racing Bulls rookie Liam Lawson at the first corner, forcing Piastri wide. Piastri survived the contact and went on to recover to fourth place.

Overtakes and strategy played crucial roles in the race. In the first stint, Norris settled into the pack after the early turn-one shuffle, fighting back to second place and even re-passing Russell in the latter stages of the race. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, starting from 17th, made a charge through the field to fourth on track. However, Antonelli had jumped the start and served a five-second penalty, dropping him to fifth in the official classification. That promoted Leclerc to sixth and Sainz to seventh at the flag. Both Ferrari drivers had strong recoveries: Leclerc charged from ninth on the grid into the top six, repeatedly overtaking on the hard tyres, and Sainz moved into the top ten early and held P7 to the finish. Further back, Alex Albon collided with Hamilton while battling into Turn 12, damaging Albon’s Williams and forcing him to pit. Hamilton lost time but ultimately recovered to grab the final point in 10th.

Pit-stop strategy influenced the order. At mid-distance (around Lap 25), Verstappen pitted from the lead onto the hard compound tyre and rejoined still in front. By that point Hulkenberg and Hamilton, who had started on the hards from the back, were running up in the top five. Hulkenberg and Hamilton delayed their stops, briefly moving into podium contention. When Hulkenberg finally pitted a lap later, he rejoined just ahead of Hamilton despite Hamilton making a mistake on his in-lap. Fernando Alonso was the first of the leaders to stop (switching to hards on Lap 22), but his early pit undercut dropped him down the order, and he eventually finished just outside the points in 13th. By the second half of the race, Verstappen had built a 3–4 second gap over Russell with Norris just behind. Norris then closed in on Russell and used DRS to overtake him on the back straight to move back into P2.

In the closing laps, a mechanical issue slowed Norris’s McLaren. His engineer told him to conserve fuel, and he dropped off the pace. Verstappen pulled away, and Russell also closed in, but it was too late for them to threaten the Red Bull. At the finish, Verstappen took the checkered flag more than 20 seconds clear of Norris. Russell was a further 2.8 seconds behind Norris, securing the final podium spot. Piastri held off Leclerc’s challenge to claim P4; Leclerc finished sixth after battling back from P9. Sainz completed the top seven, over 10 seconds clear of Hadjar in 8th. Hulkenberg and Hamilton rounded out the top ten, both maximizing the benefit of their hard–medium tyre strategy.

Key Moments

• Turn 1 incident: At the start, Norris attempted to squeeze Verstappen at Turn 1 but ran deep, allowing Verstappen to take the lead at the next corner. Russell also capitalized on the melee, diving around the outside of Turn 3 to overtake Norris for second. Further back, Lawson made contact with Piastri at Turn 1 (Piastri recovered to P4), while Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll crashed into each other and both retired immediately.

• Mid-race strategy: Most front-runners pitted between Laps 24–29. Verstappen’s stop on Lap 25 (from the lead) switched him to hard tyres and preserved track position. Mercedes gambled with Hulkenberg and Hamilton on a longer first stint; both had started on hards and led the race briefly before their stops, eventually rejoining just ahead of a pitting Norris. Alonso’s early stop dropped him out of contention, and he faded to 13th. By the time the second stints played out, the order was roughly Verstappen–Norris–Russell, with Piastri and Leclerc further back.

• Late-race battle: Norris closed in on Russell in the final phase. In heavy DRS traffic on the back straight, Norris overtook Russell into Turn 14 on Lap 32. Norris then began hunting down Verstappen, reducing the gap to about 5 seconds. However, a suspected fuel issue forced Norris to throttle back. He was instructed to nurse the car home, and Verstappen sailed to victory by 20.7 seconds. Russell’s Mercedes suffered with tyre wear in the final stint but held P3.

• Overtakes: Aside from the start and Norris–Russell fight, key passes included Leclerc charging through the field. Leclerc, starting from ninth, raced past Olivier Bearman into Turn 14 on Lap 2 to move into the top 7. Sainz also gained early positions by overtaking Hadjar on the first lap, ultimately ending in P7. Hamilton, meanwhile, climbed from 19th to 10th, largely thanks to a long first stint on hard tyres and clean overtakes in traffic.

Final Results

According to the official classification, the top finishers were:

• 1st: Max Verstappen – 1:21:08.429 (25 points)

• 2nd: Lando Norris – +20.741s (18 pts)

• 3rd: George Russell – +23.546s (15 pts)

• 4th: Oscar Piastri – +27.650s (12 pts)

• 5th: Kimi Antonelli – +30.488s (10 pts)

• 6th: Charles Leclerc – +30.678s (8 pts)

• 7th: Carlos Sainz – +34.924s (6 pts)

• 8th: Isack Hadjar – +45.257s (4 pts)

• 9th: Nico Hülkenberg – +51.134s (2 pts)

• 10th: Lewis Hamilton – +59.369s (1 pt)

Positions 11–15 went to Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly (Gasly recovering to 15th after an early spin). Liam Lawson (16th) and Franco Colapinto (17th) completed the classified finishers; Alex Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll retired.

Aftermath and Next Steps

Norris’s second-place finish, while not a win, extends his championship lead. He leaves Vegas 42 points clear of Verstappen with only two races remaining. If Norris scores 25+ points at the penultimate Qatar Grand Prix, he will clinch his first Drivers’ Championship. The Las Vegas GP thus kept the title fight mathematically alive for Verstappen, but Norris holds the upper hand. The result also affects the Constructors’ standings, with McLaren and Red Bull continuing their battle, and Mercedes consolidating third.

For fans and collectors, the Las Vegas Grand Prix was another memorable night race in F1 history. To celebrate Verstappen’s triumph and his four championships, 123helmets offers an exact replica of his “4 Titles” 2024 championship helmet. This full-scale Max Verstappen helmet features the commemorative design used after his fourth world championship, making it a premium collector’s item for Formula 1 enthusiasts.

Overall, the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered thrills on the strip: a bold fight at the start, strategic pit stops, and a late charge under the city lights. Verstappen’s victory and Norris’s podium finish are now part of this city’s racing lore. As the Formula 1 circus moves next to Qatar, fans will be eagerly monitoring the F1 standings and championship permutations. Stay tuned to 123helmets for more Formula 1 news, race analyses, and the latest on replica helmets from all your favorite drivers.

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