The championship is more open than ever. The Las Vegas GP officially reopened the title fight between Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri. Max secured the win and 25 points, while Lando and Oscar initially finished second and fourth, limiting the damage — only to be disqualified later for irregularities in skid measurement. This allowed Max to significantly cut the gap at the top of the standings, arriving in Qatar just 24 points behind the leader.
Focusing on the core of the article: strategies. Pirelli had already indicated after qualifying that a one-stop Medium-Hard strategy was possible at Las Vegas. Initially, teams were cautious due to graining, cooler temperatures, and rain, as well as the fact that last year drivers needed two sets of Hard C3 tyres to finish the race.
In the 2025 event, however, C3 degradation levels were low. This allowed Andrea Kimi Antonelli to complete an astonishing 48 laps on the Hard tyres at 19°C track temperature — the same number as Pierre Gasly, who finished 15th (before the McLaren disqualifications) and out of the points.
One-stop strategy pays off
The low degradation made a one-stop strategy the most competitive. On Medium-Hard, we saw the race winner Max Verstappen, followed by Norris (later disqualified), Russell, Piastri (also disqualified), Leclerc, Sainz, Hadjar, Ocon, Bearman, Alonso, and Gasly. On Soft-Hard, the only competitor was Antonelli. Veteran drivers Hulkenberg and Hamilton ran Hard-Medium, scoring points, while Colapinto missed out. Liam Lawson was the sole driver on a two-stop M-H-H strategy, affected by a first-lap incident. Albon, Bortoleto, and Stroll retired, with Gabriel also receiving a five-place grid penalty for the Qatar GP due to contact with Lance.
Antonelli dominates the race
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s journey to the podium was full of challenges — all of which he and Mercedes faced and overcame. Starting on Soft tyres — the only driver to do so — he executed a perfect launch, gaining positions up to P13 behind Hamilton, who had also made a strong start from P19. Antonelli then pitted under a Virtual Safety Car on lap 2 to switch to Hards.
Few expected the Hards to last the whole race, not even Antonelli perhaps. But both he and Gasly managed to run without any further stops. Some claimed Antonelli benefited from running in clean air, but that’s inaccurate. After fitting Hards on lap 3, he was P15 behind Colapinto. By lap 10, he passed the Alpine to reach P14, then gained another position when Albon pitted, moving to P11 by lap 15.
By lap 21, Antonelli was closing on Hamilton, within DRS range by lap 22 and overtaking Piastri during his pit stop. On lap 25, he passed Esteban Ocon to reach P6 as Charles Leclerc pitted to switch to Hards, rejoining behind Piastri. Antonelli ran 4 laps in dirty air, 5 if counting the pass on Franco Colapinto, closing the gap to Hamilton to 2.5 seconds, then 1.3 by lap 28. Hamilton pitted on lap 30, and Antonelli followed Hulkenberg in DRS until lap 31. From there, he had a clear track and finished fourth, just 2.4 seconds behind Russell, and ahead of Charles Leclerc by 0.190 seconds after Piastri’s penalty for a jump start.
Leclerc narrowly misses podium
Leclerc lost the podium by only 0.190 seconds. The Ferrari team admits that a small strategy adjustment could have given Charles the third step, as Antonelli’s final lap pace on low-34s compared to Charles Leclerc’s high-34s made the difference. Over 48 laps on Hards versus Charles Leclerc’s 26, Kimi Antonelli’s performance was exceptional, leaving no excuses.
Verstappen, Norris, and Hamilton
Max Verstappen managed his race perfectly, setting a new track record on the final lap with Hard tyres. His win started at the lights, taking advantage of Norris’ early mistake. Lewis Hamilton ran Hard-Medium; his pace on Hards was promising, but on Mediums he lost rhythm, finishing 10th, 8 seconds behind Nico Hulkenberg. Lando Norris matched Max until lap 45 but faded to finish 20 seconds back, reportedly told by his team to slow down due to fuel concerns — possibly a misdirection for FIA checks.
Pirelli summary
Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director, said after the GP: “Las Vegas confirmed pre-race predictions. The race was characterized by a single stop, with Medium and Hard tyres covering the 50 laps. Graining was minimal, affecting only a few cars, mostly at the front axle. The clean track conditions helped, as last year’s similar temperatures forced two stops due to graining. This year, tyres lasted longer, confirming the improved mechanical properties of current compounds already evident this season.”
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