Okay, Verstappen did his normal SuperMax thing and won, but the Ferraris turned out to be equally potent, and this is the closest we’ve seen another team get to Verstappen’s gearbox by the end of the race; Australia’s safety car finish notwithstanding.
And let’s not forget about that stellar final lap overtake and the rush to the finish line from Leclerc, who stayed with Sergio Perez, ready to pounce as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Say what you want about Perez; he can still duke it out with the best.
He battled all the way from 17th to third, giving us another close race to the end. It wasn’t as close as the battle between him and Fernando Alonso at Interlagos, but highly entertaining.
The track, criticized by many as ordinary, seemed to work for racing. The massive straight down the Las Vegas Strip meant that lap after lap, someone was at risk of being overtaken, with many positions swapping back and forth. Outside of a rain-soaked Dutch GP, Vegas had more overtakes than any other race this season.
And even outside the straights, there were overtaking opportunities for those who dared. Cold tires hampering grip aside, the racing action was top-drawer stuff.