Viva Las Vegas: Max Verstappen Raced in Elvis-Inspired Suit, but the GP Was a Trainwreck

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, they say. Well, not really when it comes to the first Grand Prix since 1982. Max Verstappen overcame a five-second penalty following an incident at the beginning of the race and a right front tire advanced wear to win on the Las Vegas Strip and pop up the champagne dressed in a suit that was inspired by the white attire won by Elvis in his Vegas shows.

Max raced to a record-extending 18th victory of the season and sang "Viva Las Vegas" as he crossed the finish line under the checkered flag waved by Justin Bieber. Teammate Sergio Perez was right behind behind, trying to keep Charles Leclerc at bay. Starting from pole, the Ferrari driver had to settle for the third position on the podium.

The three drivers were taken to the stage located near the Bellagio in a limousine. "We go straight to the nightclub," Verstappen joked. They were actually taken to the podium to get their trophies and enjoy the impressive fireworks.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was absolute chaos right from the get-go

It was an insane weekend in Vegas, all starting with the pothole on the race track that led to the cancelation of Friday's free practice after the Ferrari driven by Carlos Sainz sustained massive damage.

Another track issue hit on Saturday. On lap 4, Lando Norris and his McLaren ended up in the protective barrier. Team boss Andrea Stella confirmed it was not a technical failure, but a bump in the asphalt, which, in combination with the cold tires, turned out to be the end of the race for the British driver. Norris was hospitalized for precautionary checks and discharged several hours later.

Furthermore, a lawsuit has been launched against the Las Vegas Grand Prix. On behalf of 35,000 fans who attended the opening day of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, two law firms from Nevada filed a lawsuit in Nevada District Court.

According to FoxSports, the fans are furious because the FP1 was canceled after only eight minutes, and the FP2 was seriously delayed until 2:30 AM local time. Fans, though, claim they were kicked out at 1:30 AM and threatened with trespassing charges by police.

All in all, the race had an estimated financial impact of $1.2 billion, with 315,000 people attending the event that lasted three days. Stars such as Brad Pitt, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or Usain Bolt were in attendance.

Aston Martin was in the spotlight in Las Vegas

The Aston Martin DBX707 was in the spotlight at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, first to take place in the entertainment capital of the world in 41 years. Furthermore, on Saturday night, the Aston Martin Armco Cognizant Formula 1 Team scored points with both cars.

The world's most powerful ultra-luxury SUV, the DBX707, showed up on an exclusive track takeover prior to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The model is also the Official Medical Car of Formula 1, partnering up with the Official FIA Safety Cars, the Mercedes-AMG GT R and the Aston Martin Vantage.

Aston Martin unleashed an impressive lineup of DBX707 models on the Las Vegas strip. Based on the partnership with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the British luxury carmaker entertained more than 100 VIPs on each day of the event. The brand’s cars completed 58 hot laps on the new street circuit.

The largest LED screen on Earth was right next to the race track. The Sphere’s Exosphere displayed 15 minutes of light show in the heart of Vegas. During the race, it showed content featuring real biometric visualization of drivers experiencing the intensity of their experiments behind the wheel of the high-performance SUV, including pupil dilation and heartbeat.

The Sphere also showed a unique video ad through the race week, developed over months of hard work with the team striving to bring the DNA of the Aston Martins to the screen. The 90-second video also revealed the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team’s AMR23 race car on a never-before-seen scale. It also dispayed the DBX707 and the world’s first super tourer, the DB12. That was, according to Aston Martin, the largest display of a car ever created for Digital media.

This past weekend, the carmaker took the DBX707 to the Nevada Desert for a thrilling adventure. It started with a private helicopter journey and a bird’s eye-view of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Guests were afterwards flown over the Grand Canyon and towards the Valley of Fire State Park for an off-road driving route onboard the DBX707.

The SUV is powered by a 4.0-liter V8, which generates 697 horsepower (707 PS) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque. The car can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 3.1 seconds, 124 mph (200 kph) in 12.2 seconds, and runs the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 192 mph (310 kph).

Both Aston Martin drivers scored points in Las Vegas

It was an amazing weekend for Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team in Vegas. The drivers delivered a double points-winning performance. The fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship will be decided at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, and Aston Martin is still chasing after it.

In Las Vegas, Lance Stroll climbed from the 19th position on the grid to the 5th place, while the Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished ninth, which keeps him in the fourth position in the Drivers’ World Championship, behind the three-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, his teammate at Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, had to settle for the sixth and the seventh positions at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Mercedes is the team which won eight consecutive Constructors Championship titles in a row and is now struggling, having less than half the points Red Bull Racing has.