Bichara Column: a real “jackpot”

The Las Vegas GP finally brings F1 closer to the Americans

A REAL JACKPOT

As has been said before, F1 finally “made America”. Conquering the States was an old dream for the category, never realized in the days of Bernie Ecclestone. After the acquisition of the category by Liberty Midia, and with the decisive support of Netflix, things have changed. The remarkable “Drive to Survive” increased the popularity of F1 among young people – and the quintessence of this achievement in America was the Las Vegas GP, which took place last weekend.

It wasn’t the first time F1 came to Sin City. In 1982 and 1983, races were held in the city, held on a makeshift track in the parking lot of Caesars Palace, a famous hotel and casino. In fact, it was there that Nelson Piquet became world champion for the first time. But by now there was no more improvisation: Liberty – exceptionally responsible for the entire organization of the race – played everything: it created a fantastic and very fast street circuit, with a long straight that runs along the entire Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as the ” Strip”.

The circuit was practically a tour of the main attractions of Las Vegas, and literally passed in front of the doors of the main hotels in the city: MGM, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Paris, Venetian, Pallazzo, this one very frequented by fat and happy Brazilian gamblers , who never forget the green cloth catchphrase: “There are only two gamblers, losers and liars.”

With tickets worth their weight in gold and many off-track attractions such as shows and parties, Las Vegas was full of celebrities in the paddock: Rod Stewart, Axl Rose, Brad Pitt, Heidi Klum, Gordon Ramsey, Paris Hilton, Rihanna, Shaqir O. “Neal, David Beckham and many others, many with complex names, like Chad Ochocinco, a person I have no idea who he is, were there.But if there was a lot of emotion off the track, on the track the weekend didn’t start well. Precisely in FP1 on Friday, with less than 20 minutes of training, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari “sucked in” a manhole. The aerodynamic pressure exerted by the cars generated a “corkscrew” effect and the Ferrari was violently hit by the manhole. An unacceptable situation , which led to the suspension of free training. Immediately all the underground channels along the 6.2 km route – more than 30 – were properly sealed, but the operation lasted a few hours, causing a delay in FP2, which it is carried out without an audience, as there are no security personnel available. Everything was very confusing, unleashing a storm of criticism. And the one who expressed them most was Max Verstappen, who spared no negative comments on the “GP spectacle”. According to him, anyone who wants to party like this should go to Ibiza. The Dutchman stated that he prefers classic tracks such as Monza or Spa.

From the start of training it was clear that the teams’ main concern was the tyres. The cold climate of the desert nights did not generate heating of the compounds. Furthermore, the slightly porous “road” asphalt caused very low adhesion. To give you an idea, on Friday the cars arrived at the end of the long straight – 1.7km – with tires 50 degrees colder than normal.

In qualifying the Ferraris were very strong, taking the first two positions; Charles Leclerc took pole with Carlos Sainz in 2nd place. Verstappen placed 3rd, while Sergio Perez, once again, was in Q2. Highlight for Williams, who achieved a 5th and 6th place.

But Sainz was incredibly punished due to the replacement of parts following the “accident” on Friday, even though he was not at fault. This is the kind of decision you can’t understand. Ferrai definitely needs a new lawyer. Result: Verstappen started second.

And on Saturday evening the race started lively: Verstappen “abruptly” attacked Leclerc, knocking the Ferrari driver off the track and taking the lead. Further back, Alonso, who isn’t like this, spun alone and hit many: Valteri Bottas, Sainz and Perez. And one lap later Lando Norris also left the track alone in a bad accident. All this is due to the poor grip of the track. The Safety Car intervened, while Leclerc, on the radio, begged for Verstappen to be punished.

When the race restarted on lap 7, Leclerc’s complaints were upheld and Verstappen received a 5-second penalty. Meanwhile, the brilliant Oscar Piastri, who started 19th, was already 8th.

On lap 16 Leclerc overtook Verstapen while he was already heading to the pits. There was little to understand Ferrari’s strategy: if Leclerc was following the Dutchman, why not try an undercut, stopping first? In any case, that old strategy problem of the Italian team is repeated. In the Ferrari forest, competence is an exotic and rare bird.

Then Verstappen stopped, served his punishment and returned to the center of the group. Leclerc only stopped on lap 22, leaving the lead to Perez. But on lap 26 the Safety Car comes into operation again, upsetting the GP and the strategy of those who had stopped. The one who did well was Perez who was awarded a “free” stop under the safety car.

With the Dutchman quickly moving up the field, Leclerc found himself between the two Red Bulls. On lap 33 he manages to overtake Perez, who becomes easy prey for his teammate. Verstappen, in a sudden rush of desire to team up, radioed the following message: “Let’s work together here.” Translation: “tell him to get out of my sight.” If it’s difficult for a scoundrel, let alone for a stupid one… And there was no other solution: Perez let the champion continue on his way, so much so that, on lap 37, he overtook Leclerc and took the lead .

The fight was then limited to 2nd place and it was a good battle. On lap 43 Leclerc makes a mistake while braking and Perez overtakes him. But the Monegasque came to fix the boat and, at the last corner of the last lap, overtook Perez, who didn’t have time to make amends, losing, for the second time in a row, his position in the standings.

Verstappen was the first to take the checkered flag waved by Justin Timberlake, followed by Leclerc and Perez (who won the Vice Championship with this position). In 4th place was Esteban Ocon, who had a great race, then Lance Stroll, Sainz, Hamilton and Russel.

The race was one of the best of the season, with 82 overtakings and lots of action.

As Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s engineer, said, the champion, who arrived complaining about the pitch of the game, made a royal climb, with the right to bring the Jackpot to Red Bull: for the first time, the team won the constructors’ championship title world and became champion and vice.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.