WHY FERRARI HAS NO DEFEATIST LEWIS HAMILTON REMARKS AFTER LAS VEGAS GP

Lewis Hamilton was downbeat post-race in Las Vegas

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has claimed Lewis Hamilton‘s sullen comments at Formula 1‘s Las Vegas Grand Prix were a “normal” response to a disappointing weekend.

Hamilton’s tumultuous debut campaign with Ferrari reached a new low at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit as he was dumped out in Q1 with the slowest lap time in the wet.

Despite recovering 10 spots to come home in 10th, which became eighth once the McLaren drivers were excluded, Hamilton was downbeat when speaking post-race.

The Briton said that he took zero positives from his comeback drive, citing that he has encountered “22 bad weekends” across what has been his “worst season ever”.

However, Vasseur insisted that he saw little issue with Hamilton’s morose remarks, highlighting that such a demeanour is to be expected when the dust hasn’t settled.

“You know perfectly the system,” he told Motorsport Week. “The TV pen, five minutes after the race, when you have a tough race, it’s very harsh for them.

“I can perfectly understand the adrenaline, the emotion, and to have a comment a bit harsh at this stage of the weekend. And I would say that it’s normal.

“I don’t know if normal is the right word, but I prefer to have drivers being very open at the end of the race when you didn’t do the perfect job, when the car was not good, to say, ‘Okay, I’m frustrated’. And someone going to the TV pen saying, ‘I know, guys, the team is perfect, the car is good, blah, blah, blah’. In this case, you would be upset.

“You can’t blame them in any circumstances and I think it’s quite normal as a human, sometimes on the radio or just after the session, to be a bit, not upset, but to be a bit on the emotion.

“Now the most important is not what they say on the TV pen, it’s what they do on the Monday morning with the team to try to do better and to try to push the team to do better. This is more the job of the drivers than the TV pen.”

Vasseur has contended that various incidents over recent race weekends have conspired to generate results that haven’t mirrored Hamilton’s overall competitiveness.

“Yes, it’s true that on the mathematical side the last couple of weekends were very difficult with Brazil DNF, Mexico the penalty, and this one,” he acknowledged.

“But overall I think Mexico, Austin, it was probably also the best weekend of Lewis in terms of pure performance.

“But now it’s true for the team also and we didn’t put everything together the last two hours of the weekend, and it’s why on the mathematical side and on the championship we did a huge step down.

“But in terms of pure performance I think it’s also why we are not in so bad shape compared to the mid-season.

“I can understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race, but we just have to calm down, to discuss and to be focused on the next two, because the next two we will be back.

“Keep in mind also that Lewis was there in FP1, in FP3 with the pace was good and we have to build up the weekend like this and to start from P20 is not the best way to have a good result.”

Ferrari insists Hamilton struggles not down to ‘performance’

And while he has ruled out his prospects improving over the remaining races, Vasseur believes a clean weekend is the sole thing eluding the seven-time F1 champion.

“Today it’s difficult, but if you have a look on the last couple of races that we are speaking about, Mexico it’s a matter of [a] penalty that he was able to be on the podium,” he reiterated.

“I don’t think that we have to change completely, it’s a matter more to put everything together and I think we are struggling to have a clean weekend.

“But it’s either the penalty or contact with [Franco] Colapinto [in Brazil] or the quali yesterday and it’s not pure performance, not only pure performance.

“For sure we have to improve on performance, this is clear, but it’s more the way you build up the weekend and how you do the expectations and the track preparation.”

Vasseur has conceded that the results not matching the high hopes that Hamilton harboured upon his arrival at the team have contributed to his emotional outbursts.

Asked whether he thinks Hamilton not hitting the heights that he is accustomed to has caused his pride to be hurt to a certain extent, the Frenchman responded: “Yes.

“I think you can understand that it’s normal that Lewis is not happy with P10 in Vegas and Ferrari is not happy with P10 in Vegas and Ferrari is not happy with P6 in Vegas.

“But now the reaction is to work together to try to do a better job next week and it’s the life of the team.

“If you remember, Max [Verstappen] was P11 in Budapest and it was not the absolute drama,” referencing the turnaround Red Bull has managed since the summer break.

“We need to keep this approach and to come back again and again and to try to push again and again and to try to do a better job.

“The frustration is normal. I would be worried if we didn’t have this kind of frustration when we are doing P10.”

- Taylor Powling

MCLAREN EXPLAINS REASONS FOR ITS SHOCK DOUBLE DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE LAS VEGAS

Hot on the heel of McLaren's shock double disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Andrea Stella stressed that the Woking-based outfit did not attempt to circumvent the regulations, but it was simply caught out by the lack of running across the practice sessions which meant that the engineers could not assess the optimal ride height.

Championship runaway leader Lando Norris finished second at Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix behind reigning champion Max Verstappen.

His team-mate Oscar Piastri endured a more challenging evening at the Las Vegas Strip, ending up fourth, which saw him lose further valuable points in the championship battle.

However, the FIA issued a document after the 50-lap race in Sin City, confirming that McLaren would face a double investigation for both of Norris and Piastri’s cars following the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The FIA's document read: "The skid wear of car numbers 81 and 04 was checked. The rearmost skid was measured on both cars according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 M, item 1.2 b) i).

"The measured thickness was less than 9 mm on both cars, which is the minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e)."

After a lengthy investigation, the governing body confirmed that the British and the Australian driver have been disqualified from the 50-lap Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Reflecting on McLaren's shock result at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, team boss Andrea Stella stressed that the Woking-based outfit did not attempt to circumvent the regulations, but it was simply caught out by the lack of running across the practice sessions which meant that the engineers could not assess the optimal ride height.

"Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum of 9mm skid thickness. Car 4 was found in breach by a maximum of 0.12mm of the rearmost skid and Car 81 by a maximum of 0.26mm of the rearmost skid.

"During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the Practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

"As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.

"We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their Championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

"While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season," concluded the Italian.

- Balazs Szabo

LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2025 RESULTS

 

FORMULA 1 DRIVER STANDINGS | POINTS AFTER THE LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX

 

TRAVIS SCOTT, LEWIS HAMILTON, JAY-Z & BEYONCÉ | LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2025

LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2025 | STARTING GRID

 

 

FORMULA 1 CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS | LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2025

 

BREAKING NEWS: FORMULA ONE'S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HALTED BY LOOSE MANHOLE COVER - WHICH ISN'T EVEN SHOWN IN TVCOVER- UP

Formula One’s flagship race in Las Vegas got off to a typically shaky start when a manhole cover worked loose during the second practice session headed by Lando Norris.

A delay of 19 minutes ensued in two red-flag phases.

Bizarrely, the incident at Turn 17 was not shown on the TV feed. Photographers, however, pictured the scene.

The first interruption lasted 16 minutes before the action restarted only to be suspended permanently three minutes from the end of the scheduled 9pm local-time finish – an echo of notorious problems during first practice on the Nevada race’s debut two years ago, when a drain became detached and ripped into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

Second practice then was pushed back to 4am as the bleary-eyed departed while the problem was rectified.

The race runs over Las Vegas’s normal roads alongside such Strip landmarks as Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and Bellagio Fountains, in the gambling capital of the world, and is prone to glitches that a permanent circuit would avoid.

The FIA, who govern F1 proceedings, offered live updates, saying: ‘Following a marshal report of a possible loose manhole cover before Turn 17, Race Control were unable to confirm this information from the CCTV available. The session has been red-flagged as a precautionary measure and Race Control personnel are currently on site assessing the situation.

‘Following inspection, we are confident everything is in a suitable condition to resume the session.’

But not so. Practice restarted briefly before being called off prematurely and for good.

The FIA added: ‘Some Race Control personnel remained on-site when the session was restarted.

‘They reported that the manhole cover was moving as cars passed over it, which led to the session being ended under red-flag conditions. Further inspections are underway.’

The Vegas race is F1’s own property – Formula One Management (FOM), who run the sport for American conglomerate Liberty Media, promote it, rather than charge a hosting fee to local authorities. Saudi Arabia, in contrast, one of the biggest payers among 24 venues, give more than £60million a year to host their event.

FOM, rather than the FIA, control the pictures that are shown – or, in this case, not shown about the errant manhole cover – on the world feed.

Qualifying for F1 Academy, the women’s series, later started after a short delay, as the grandstands emptied. This passed off without incident.

Norris could at least be satisfied to finish ahead of second-placed Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli during the truncated F1 session, with his nearest rival in the championship fight, Oscar Piastri, 14th, and Max Verstappen ninth.

Norris leads Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49 with Las Vegas, Qatar (including a sprint race) and Abu Dhabi remaining. There are a maximum of 83 points to be collected.

- JONATHAN MCEVOY

TOP THREE F1 TEAMS SHINE IN FREE PRACTICE 2 | LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX

 

F1 - LECLERC TOPS OPENING PRACTICE IN LAS VEGAS AHEAD OF ALBON AND TSUNODA

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc went quickest in the opening practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix with Williams' Alex Albon in second place ahead of Red Bull Racing's Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen. Championship leader Lando Norris was sixth with title rival McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastrin P8. 

On a dusty, dirty track surface Isack Hadjar was the first to post a time with the French driver crossing the line in a conservative 1:46.042. His Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson was also on track and the New Zealander was soon on the radio to tell his pit wall that the ‘green’ track was “so slippery”.

Williams’ Carlos Sainz took over at the top of the order thanks to a Medium-tyres time of 1:41.164. He was soon dislodged by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and then by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who posted a time of 1:39.733 to move up to P1. 

Hadjar then returned to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:39.415 before being dislodged by Sainz who went six hundredths of a second quicker. The Racing Bulls driver responded, however, and once again made his way to P1 with a lap of 1:38.753.

With grip improving steadily, the lap times continued to drop and after Gasly, Sainz, Leclerc and Hadjar all cycled through top spot Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg then dropped the benchmark to 1:37.370, on the Hard tyre.

It was then the turn of Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda who posted a lap of 1:37.094 but the Japanese driver was ousted by title contending team-mate Max Verstappen who took top spot with a lap of 1:36.493 before working his way down to 1:35.776, but attention was focused on championship leader Lando Norris who clipped a barrier with his right rear wheel. The Briton was able to continue, however. 

With the halfway mark in sight the field began to move to performance runs on Soft tyres. With the red-banded tyres on board his Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton immediately jumped to P1 with a lap of 1:35.561. However, he was quickly ousted by Leclerc who hit the top with a lap of 1:35.281, which he then lowered to 1:35.121. 

Verstappen had also bolted on a set of Softs and the four-time champion made his way back to P1 with a time of 1:35.109. However, he was once again pushed back by team-mate Tsunoda who posted a lap of 1:35.071. 

There was no denying Leclerc, however, and he moved back to the top for the final time in the session with a lap of 1:34.802.

Williams’ Alex Albon delivered a late lap of 1:34.968 to rise above Tsunoda who ended the session in in P3, 0.269s off Leclerc, while Verstappen finished fourth ahead of Sainz. 

Norris initially failed to post a clean lap on the Softs but he eventually logged a lap of 1:35.258 to finish in sixth place, almost half a second off Leclerc. 

Isack Hadjar took seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of title contender Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes’ George Russell took ninth ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli. 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.802 29 235.476

2 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:34.968 0.166 23 235.064

3 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:35.071 0.269 27 234.809

4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:35.109 0.307 24 234.715

5 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:35.179 0.377 31 234.543

6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.258 0.456 25 234.348

7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:35.299 0.497 30 234.247

8 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.450 0.648 27 233.877

9 George Russell Mercedes 1:35.534 0.732 25 233.671

10 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:35.538 0.736 30 233.661

11 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:35.561 0.759 26 233.605

12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:35.589 0.787 26 233.537

13 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:35.709 0.907 28 233.244

14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.746 0.944 23 233.154

15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.894 1.092 25 232.794

16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:35.990 1.188 28 232.561

17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:36.123 1.321 30 232.239

18 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:36.170 1.368 25 232.126

19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:36.398 1.596 25 231.577

20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:36.758 1.956 28 230.71

 - FIA

FLOOD WATCH ISSUED AS LAS VEGAS THREATENED BY MAJOR RAINFALL

Las Vegas has recently been hit by flooding. Here’s a look at the current weather forecast for the Nevada weekend.

On Monday, a flood watch was issued as heavy rain is expected across the Las Vegas Valley this week, raising the risk of flooding.

The alert is set to remain in effect at least until Wednesday, by which time conditions are expected to improve, allowing the weekend’s events to take place safely.

Las Vegas isn’t exactly known for being flood-proof, though the rain expected this week is usually well below the city’s historical November average.

Friday’s running will kick off during European nighttime with the first two practice sessions. Temperatures are set to hover under mostly cloudy skies, with a few late showers giving a 31% chance of rain. Winds will be light from the north at 6 mph, and humidity sits near 67%. While it’s unclear if any rain will hit the track during sessions, teams may have to contend with a slightly damp surface early in the evening.

On Saturday morning, showers are expected to clear well before the evening action, leaving cold but dry conditions. By nightfall, the temperature will remain around 46°F, with rain chances dropping to just 11%, northwesterly winds at 7 mph, and humidity at 61%, setting the stage for a dry session.

Sunday, race day, is set as the most stable weather of the weekend. Partly cloudy skies are expected, temperatures dipping to 45°F, and virtually no risk of rain. Light northwesterly winds at 6 mph and 57% humidity should provide near-perfect conditions for the race.

2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix: start time and full schedule

The Nevada race is always one-of-a-kind, largely because of its timing, with an eight-hour difference between Europe (GMT) and Las Vegas (PST).

Another distinctive feature is that the U.S. race kicks off on Saturday evening, breaking from the usual Sunday race tradition.

Here’s the full schedule for the weekend.

- Tobia Elia