Formula One Gradebook: Las Vegas Grand Prix
- Elaina Russell
- 21 minutes ago
- 10 min read
Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Morgan Holiday
The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered one of the most dramatic twists of the season. Max Verstappen claimed a commanding win under the Strip lights while McLaren’s night imploded hours later, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finding themselves disqualified for excessive skid wear. The revised classification reshaped the title fight completely, tightening the championship to a three-way showdown as F1 heads towards its final two rounds.
Mercedes surged back into contention with podium-level pace, Ferrari once again split their fortunes, and midfield standouts shone in treacherous conditions. Vegas delivered chaos, spectacle and consequences in equal measure.
Here’s how all 20 drivers performed on race day:
McLaren
No. 4 - Lando Norris - DSQ
Norris entered the weekend with momentum after back-to-back poles, and his initial execution was strong. A forceful defense against Verstappen early on in the race, only to run wide and lose position in the shuffle. From there, he rebuilt his race with the pace that has thus far defined his 2025 campaign, climbing back to a second place finish despite late-race concerns that forced him into lift-and-coast mode.
His post-race comments hinted at frustration over the sudden loss in performance, yet even with the drop-off, he looked set to solidify his championship lead. Instead, a post-race disqualification (DSQ) detonated his result entirely. The skid-wear breach was reported as “unintentional” from the McLaren team, but the consequences were straightforward and crushing.
Norris keeps the championship lead, but the margin has shrunk to a mere 24 points. The bigger question is psychological–the first major stumble for a team that has been more consistent than most.
No. 81 - Oscar Piastri - DSQ
Piastri’s race began with immediate trouble as he tangled with the midfield in the opening turns, dropping him into recovery mode. Small mistakes throughout the opening laps made the climb back harder, but his mid-race pace steadied, and McLaren’s overall strategy gave him a better chance than most.
Like Norris, his drive was solid enough given the early setback, but the DSQ following the chequered flag nullified all progress. His championship deficit evaporates only because Norris also falls, but he now sits tied with Verstappen with everything to fight for.
Ferrari
No. 16 - Charles Leclerc - A
Leclerc’s qualifying was disastrous, a victim of wet-weather instability that left him out of position and starting ninth on the grid. Race day was a different story entirely, though, as he attacked the opening laps with clarity and precision. His overtakes on Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri reset his afternoon and positioned him in the hunt behind the lead group.
Ferrari’s high-downforce package eventually made life difficult following the formation of a DRS train, and limited Leclerc’s ability to progress any further. Still, fourth after the double DSQ of McLaren represents a salvaged result from a weekend that once seemed an entire write-off for the Maranello outfit.
Vegas was yet another demonstration of Leclerc’s resilience, even as Ferrari continues to oscillate wildly from session to session.
No. 44 - Lewis Hamilton - B
Hamilton endured what he deemed a “horrendous weekend” that included recording his worst-ever Formula 1 Qualifying performance. Knocked out in the first round of qualifying with a starting position of 20th on the grid, he faced an uphill battle from the outset.
His long first sting on the hards was steady rather than spectacular, and although he managed to claw his way through the midfield, he could not replicate Leclerc’s incisiveness. His final classification improved only due to McLaren’s DSQs.
Hamilton continues to show flashes of the old instincts, but Ferrari’s inconsistency has left him stranded far too often. In Vegas, he was simply fighting the machinery and the conditions.
Mercedes
No. 63 - George Russell - A
Mercedes’ man George Russell delivered one of his most composed drives of the 2025 season this past weekend in Vegas. He ran in close proximity to the front runners early on, and managed slippery conditions with care.
Russell’s mid-race tyre management was where he fell short, as he pushed slightly too early and caused premature graining. He would go on to stabilise his pace and position in the final stint.
The lingering steering issue that surfaced in qualifying also returned, though Russell managed that with maturity. After the DSQs of both McLarens, he inherited a second-place finish, a result that reflects both his effort and Mercedes' renewed competitiveness. The team look sharper than they have in months.
No. 12 - Kimi Antonelli - A
Antonelli’s evening was quietly exceptional. Starting 17th on the grid, he launched an aggressive alternate strategy with an early stop for hard tyres, committing to a long final stint that demanded delicate tyre control. He rose through the order with poise, even briefly hitting fourth on merit.
The false-start penalty would go on to cost Antonelli time but not momentum. With the revised classification, he found himself promoted to the podium for the third time this season.
Antonelli’s upward trajectory is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Vegas will be a weekend to remember for the 19-year-old, despite the fact that he found himself unable to properly celebrate.
Red Bull Racing
No. 1 - Max Verstappen - A+
Verstappen delivered yet another performance reminiscent of his earlier championship dominance. His decisive move at Turn 1 set the tone, and once he seized track position from McLaren’s Norris, he controlled the conditions with complete authority. His gap to Norris stretched to almost twenty seconds before management mode kicked in.
The win represents Verstappen’s second on the Vegas Strip, after taking a season off of the top step last year with a win from Mercedes' Russell.
It was an essential step forward in the title fight and for his own confidence in what has been an otherwise erratic Red Bull season. With Piastri and Norris both losing points, the victory becomes doubly valuable. Verstappen is very much alive in this championship.
No. 22 - Yuki Tsunoda - C
Yuki Tsunoda found himself finishing 12th in the order after a forgettable race that never fully came together.
Throughout Saturday’s race, he struggled with grip through the early phases and failed to find consistent pace as the track evolved. His positioning in the midfield battle left him exposed to the pit cycles around him, and he lacked the tools to move forward.
It was a subdued afternoon that offered little opportunity and yielded little reward. Red Bull needed more from the second car.
Williams
No. 23 - Alexander Albon - DNF
Albon’s weekend effectively ended in qualifying when his contact with the barrier broke his front-right suspension. Starting out of position and facing a car unsettled by the changing conditions, he never had the chance to mount a meaningful recovery.
Qualifying woes aside, the Thai driver also faced contact at the start of Saturday’s Grand Prix, which further displaced his performance. The team ultimately made the decision to retire.
This weekend marks Albon’s fourth retirement of the 2025 season. It also marks his sixth consecutive Grand Prix without a point.
No. 55 - Carlos Sainz - A-
Carlos Sainz was one of Friday’s standout performers with a strong qualifying effort that placed him in third at the start. On race day he lacked the race-long sharpness to stay in that podium fight, yet he remained clean and consistent through the shifting conditions.
Williams continues to show there is raw pace in the package, though execution still wavers across a full race distance. Sainz extracted the most out of what was there, but the team will leave feeling this was a missed opportunity.
Kick Sauber
No. 27 - Nico Hülkenberg - B
Hülkenberg’s race was defined by tidy execution over explosive pace. Starting in the midfield, he settled into the rhythm of a low degradation one-stop race with the kind of clarity and discipline that have become hallmarks of his season.
As the race unfolded, Hülkenberg managed to hold position against rivals with marginally stronger pace, extracting everything that the Sauber could offer without overextending the tools underneath him. His management across both stints ensured he stayed clear of the chaos in the pack behind.
The final result–a modest but valuable points haul–reflected a clean, intelligent performance. Hülkenberg once again proved that when given the car, he’ll bring home exactly what’s possible.
No. 5 - Gabriel Bortoleto - DNF
Bortoleto’s race unravelled almost immediately with his misjudged lunge into Turn 1, ending both his own hopes and Lance Stroll’s. The mea culpa was immediate and sincere, but the consequences were unfortunately unavoidable. The mistake erased a weekend that had begun with promise, resetting his steady upward momentum at precisely the wrong moment in the season.
The bigger frustration for Bortoleto will be the loss of mileage. As a rookie, every race distance matters, and two consecutive non-finishes have deprived him of the learning curve he needs to carry into the 2026 season. Through the pace earlier in the weekend suggested potential, the execution at lights out overshadowed the progress.
Racing Bulls
No. 6 - Isack Hadjar - A
Hadjar delivered one of his most complete weekends of the season in Vegas. With no long-run data to rely on, he navigated the race with excellent judgement, striking the balance between caution and attack as the track evolved from damp to dry. His early tyre management approach was conservative, though understandable, yet once it became clear the race would be full push he adapted quickly.
He raced firmly against faster cars, protected track position with smart defensive lines and showed maturity under pressure in a midfield that punished hesitation. The RB package looked alive across the Vegas laps and Hadjar extracted every advantage it offered.
A sixth place finish was his statement of capability. Confidence should be flowing through the rookie, and he will carry meaningful momentum into Qatar and Abu Dhabi where the car should be stronger yet.
No. 30 - Liam Lawson - C
Lawon’s race ended before it had really begun. Caught out by the chaos into Turn 1, he committed early on the brakes only to find the field ahead compressing with nowhere to escape. Contact with Piastri ultimately destroyed his prospects and stripped the team of what should have been a double-points finish.
It was a frustrating error in a weekend where the car had genuine pace and where Lawson had positioned himself for a solid haul. His earlier sessions were competitive and confident, making the 14th-place finish even more disappointing.
Still, he leaves Vegas encouraged by the performance ceiling. The RB looks strong and the next two circuits should suit it well.
Aston Martin
No. 18 - Lance Stroll - DNF
Stroll’s race ended brutally early courtesy of Bortoleto’s lock-up, leaving him stranded in the opening stint with nowhere to go. The incident was unfortunate rather than avoidable and removed him from a race where Aston Martin did not expect to be competitive but hoped to gather useful long-run data.
The early exit left the team without clarity on their true pace, which was already muted under the lights thanks to ongoing difficulties generating straight-line performance. Stroll remained philosophical post-race, acknowledging that, “at some tracks the car comes alive.”
It was a short, unsatisfying evening, and one that deprived both Aston Martin and Stroll of vital insight as they search for stability.
No. 14 - Fernando Alonso - B
Alonso once again extracted the maximum from a package that simply does not have the necessary firepower on nights like these. His race was a prolonged defensive exercise as he fought to hold track position, hampered by the lack of top speed that left him exposed on the straights and unable to launch meaningful counterattacks.
Despite this, his driving remained measured and controlled, making few errors even as the tyres cycled through tricky temperature windows. The limitations of the Aston Martin seemed ultimately too severe to overcome and sealed his fate outside the points.
It was a pragmatic performance from a veteran who has seen weekends like this one before and will regroup for Qatar.
Haas
No. 87 - Oliver Bearman - A-
Bearman’s opening lap was superb, vaulting him into a strong early position. As the race progressed, the Haas was evidently far more temperamental than the young Brit expected. His first stint demanded intense concentration as he worked to limit mistakes encouraged by the knife-edge balance.
An eventual switch to hard tyres seemed to stabilise the car, though Bearman still appeared to battle moments that complicated a late push. Even so, his defensive driving remained robust and race awareness continued to shine throughout.
Another points finish is nothing to scoff at, and Haas’ upward trend has aligned well with Bearman’s development.
No. 31 - Esteban Ocon - A-
Ocon’s drive was stronger than the minimal points finish suggests. He executed a disciplined race and spent much of the evening in combat with Hamilton, matching Ferrari’s pace in the middle stint and managing the tyres more effectively than many in the midfield.
The Frenchman’s frustration was clear in the post-race assessment, as he concluded: “it’s been a weekend that hasn’t rewarded us.” Nonetheless, his precision and consistency across this past weekend stood out.
Alpine
No. 10 - Pierre Gasly - B-
Gasly’s race unravelled in the opening seconds through no fault of his own. Tagged from the side after the Bortoleto-Stroll collision, he spun and suffered immediate damage to the rear of his car, compromising grip and balance for the rest of the night.
Even with a wounded chassis, Gasly did manage to push on and salvage what he could despite a severe performance deficit. His disappointment was evident and justified–Vegas was shaping up to offer one of Alpine’s stronger showings and his form in both wet and dry conditions had looked promising.
A frustrating evening, but not reflective of his execution or potential.
No. 43 - Franco Colapinto - C+
Colapinto’s start was clean but he had no chance of avoiding the chain reaction ahead when he was clipped from behind by Albon. The seemingly light contact caused deeper structural damage to the floor and diffuser of his Alpine, stripping the car of stability and robbing Colapinto of rear grip across the remaining laps.
From there on his race became a struggle for control as the car slid through corners and resisted any attempt to unlock true rhythm. He managed the situation calmly and avoided further errors, though the performance ceiling was effectively sealed from Turn 1 onwards.
It was an unfortunate setback in a season already defined by challenges. Colapinto has yet to score a point this season.
Looking ahead
With just two rounds remaining, the championship is tighter than ever. Norris leads by a reduced margin after the DSQs, Piastri is now tied with Verstappen and the final two races will determine everything. Mercedes and Ferrari both carry relative momentum into Qatar while McLaren face questions about reliability and setup risks after the skid-wear violation.
Qatar awaits, and offers a fast flowing circuit where tyre management and top-speed efficiency will be decisive. With form swinging sharply between teams, nothing is certain–and the final weekends in the 2025 season are poised to deliver a spectacular conclusion.
