F1 bet half a billion, but the “euro thing” caused massive destruction – from an expert full-faced: “It’s heartbreaking”

The Formula Ones returned to Las Vegas after a 41-year hiatus, when Red Bull Max Verstappen drove the stage-rich race to victory. Second drove Charles Leclerc and thirdly Sergio Perez.

Valtteri Bottas the race was already ruined in the opening corner, when Fernando Alonso spun in front of the Finn. Bottas was 17th in the end.

Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh bundles the talking points of the Las Vegas race in this story.

How did the race end?

The Las Vegas competition was decided strongly as a result of strategic decisions. Verstappen and Perez were able to drive through the race with two pit stops, while Leclerc only changed his tires once.

Verstappen had to change his tire early on due to tire wear, but Leclerc extended his stop closer to the halfway point of the race. Moments after the Monaco stop, Verstappen and George Russell hit each other.

There was so much carbon fiber left on the track that they had to be cleaned behind the safety car. In the meantime, the Red Bull duo went to the pits and Leclerc was unable to take advantage of it.

– That was the most decisive moment of the competition. If Ferrari and Red Bull had been in an equal situation with the tires, Verstappen would not necessarily have been so strong at the end of the race, says Mildh.

What speaks?

became the biggest topic of conversation of the weekend Carlos Sainz the car breaking down due to a detached manhole cover. Sainz’s car broke down so badly in the first practice on Friday that a large part of the car had to be rebuilt.

Changing the power source automatically earned Sainz a ten grid penalty, as the judges had to follow the rules to the letter.

Mildh considers Sainz’s punishment unreasonable and unfair.

– It has been very typical for a long time in car racing in formula one and other classes, that for some reason the manhole covers just come off on street tracks. However, everyone knows that they should be welded properly, says Mildh.

It was also a big topic of conversation after Friday’s practice that the stands and fan areas had to be emptied. Those who bought a one-day ticket were offered a 200 euro gift card to a fan shop as compensation.

The compensation was not considered sufficient. Reuters reported on Saturday, that US law firms filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 35,000 ticket buyers. The defendants are Liberty Media, owner of the F1 series, the Las Vegas GP event and local construction company TAB Contractors Inc.

– We monitor the rights of those fans who traveled long distances to the event and paid small fortunes for admission tickets but were deprived of the full spectator experience, commented the lawyer of the law firm that filed the class action.

The spokesman for the Las Vegas GP made little comment on the class action.

– For us, the most important thing is to make sure that the fans get an entertaining spectator experience in a safe environment.

Mildh reminds us that F1 has invested huge sums in the weekend. Liberty Media, which owns Formula One, invested more than 500 million dollars in the Las Vegas race.

– It is even saddening that this can happen in such a big sporting event and as if the issues of the euro can wreak havoc. They (manhole covers coming off) are also a big safety risk. This is amazing.

Mildh puts the fate of Sainz not only on the race organizers but also on the shoulders of the International Automobile Federation, the FIA.

– Checking the track also belongs to the automobile union. Now we have to investigate in more detail why this went through. Things like this shouldn’t happen at this level. The race is important to F1 and this leaves a slightly sour note for this weekend.

The detached manhole cover was not the only topic of conversation. For example, Verstappen made harsh comments about the Las Vegas race over the weekend.

The Dutchman described how Las Vegas is 99% entertainment and 1% racing. For example, Verstappen, who praised the feeling and passion of Monaco and Spa, eventually went to Las Vegas.

The world champion sang after the checkered flag on his team radio Elvis Presley the song “Viva Las Vegas”.

– It was embarrassing for the drivers that the show and the attention was the size of such a massive American. For example, in Monza and Monaco, the culture is very race car-like, but now it was really show-like, Mildh reflects.

The expert reminds that the Las Vegas competition is nevertheless important for the expansion of F1.

– I understand Verstappen’s reaction. It’s great that he was like Kimi (Kimi Raikkonen) honest about how you feel. However, this is such a big investment and business that the drivers have almost no say. At least you can try to do better with comments.

What about Bottas?

The race of Valtteri Bottas, who started from the seventh grid, was already ruined in the opening corner, when Fernando Alonso spun in front of the Finn. When Sergio Perez hit the rear of the stud, Alfa Romeo’s diffuser, i.e. the air controls, suffered damage.

– It was not Bottas’ own fault. Alonso was quite optimistic and Bottas was trapped with him, says Mildh.

According to Mildh, the diffuser is of great importance on a track like Las Vegas, where you drive on long straights for long distances at a speed of over 340 kilometers per hour.

– When the diffuser breaks down, its properties are really bad. Then you suffer, especially on a track like this.

– Definitely a big disappointment. Eighth place in the time trial was promising. Ferrari probably also had something to give to Alfa Romeo as their pace was very fast over the weekend. Now this is what happened.

Surprise

Before the competition, the teams had big question marks about, for example, the functionality of the tires and brakes in cool conditions. The long straights in Las Vegas also put heavy demands on the engines.

The teams did not receive data on the functionality and grip of their cars from, for example, the first practices, as they were interrupted by Sainz’s situation. All said and done, the competition in Las Vegas still turned out to be surprisingly tough.

– Dangerous situations Lando Norris except there was hardly any. These were all managed.

A flop

Fernando Alonso finished third in the previous race in Brazil, but Las Vegas was a disappointment for Aston Martin. Mildh would have expected that the Spaniard would have been able to perform better with his experience.

– I don’t understand why he ruined his race in the first corner.

– He, if anyone, understands that the competition is not decided at the start, especially in the latter groups. I would have expected him higher. It was a really big mistake and failure.

The expert would have expected a bigger penalty also for Max Verstappen, who drove Leclerc off the track in the first corner. The jury gave a five-second penalty for the situation.

– It seemed that Verstappen lost control of his car and because of that he drifted far. Why wasn’t there a proper punishment? Five seconds in that race is nothing. It’s a flop in its own way, how the situation was handled, says Mildh.

What next?

The F1 season ends with the Abu Dhabi race on November 26. In terms of sportsmanship, there is no greater stake in the competition, because the world championship has been decided, and there is no greater struggle for the World Championship silver Lewis Hamilton after failing in Las Vegas.

– There is no moment of excitement in Abu Dhabi, but the teams want to drive for points until the end, because points have monetary and sporting value. Every team wants to end their season with a good feeling, says Mildh.