2025 F1 Las Vegas GP summary: Charles Leclerc keeps Ferrari alive

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-25, garage sidepods

The curtain has fallen on the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a race packed with drama, overtakes and crucial championship implications. Many fans were eager to know whether Lewis Hamilton would manage a major comeback from deep on the grid, so let’s revisit every key moment from this spectacular night race.The race began with Lando Norris leading the field from pole position, lining up ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari faced a tougher challenge, with Charles Leclerc starting from ninth and Hamilton forced to launch from nineteenth after a complicated qualifying. With only three rounds left in the 2025 season, the battle for victory in Las Vegas was more critical than ever.

Lights out in Las Vegas

As the lights went out, Verstappen immediately surged into the lead, taking advantage of Norris running slightly wide. The McLaren driver dropped two places in the opening moments. Hamilton, meanwhile, made an explosive start, carving through the pack and climbing into thirteenth place by the end of the opening lap.

Further back, several cars were caught in an early collision, including Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. The incident left debris scattered across the track, prompting a Virtual Safety Car on lap 2 to allow marshals to clear the area.

Despite enjoying clean air at the front, Verstappen could not break away as easily as expected. By lap 10, the top positions remained largely unchanged. On lap 13, Leclerc pounced after a lock-up from Piastri, taking sixth place and setting off in pursuit of Isack Hadjar. It didn’t take long for the Ferrari driver to clear the VCARB as well, climbing steadily toward the front.

During this phase, George Russell informed Mercedes that he was still struggling with steering issues. Moments later, Andrea Kimi Antonelli received a five-second penalty for a false start.

A tense moment followed when Alex Albon made contact with Hamilton. Fortunately, both drivers were able to continue, though the incident required another Virtual Safety Car to remove debris. On the restart, Hadjar and Piastri engaged in a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle. By lap 23, the sequence of pit stops helped elevate Leclerc into a provisional second place.

Mid-race developments

Most drivers who had started on the medium tyre completed their pit stops early in the middle stint. Hamilton made his stop on lap 29, changing strategy for the final run to the flag. Lando Norris, with fresher tyres, began closing in rapidly on Russell. The McLaren driver eventually overtook the Mercedes without taking major risks, securing second position.

By lap 38, Antonelli, Piastri and Leclerc found themselves running in close formation. Oscar Piastri attempted a move on Antonelli, but the Italian defended firmly, holding on to his position while Leclerc waited patiently behind them.

With eight laps to go, the order at the front remained stable, although the gaps were extremely tight. The tension rose again in the closing stages when Norris began losing significant time to Verstappen, raising concerns of a late issue for the McLaren driver.

Final laps and chequered flag

After 50 laps of intense racing down the Las Vegas Strip, Max Verstappen crossed the line to claim victory, further boosting his championship ambitions. Norris held on to second place despite his late troubles, while Russell secured an important podium for Mercedes.

Antonelli finished fourth on the road but had to serve his five-second penalty for the earlier false start, dropping him to fifth and promoting Piastri into the top four. Charles Leclerc completed a strong comeback drive to finish sixth, keeping Ferrari firmly in the fight as the season approaches its conclusion.