Las Vegas GP Takeaways: F1 reaches final form of spectacle and sport

This was Formula One at its peak.

Racing down the famous strip, corners named after hotel landmarks, celebrities up and down the paddock and the giant MSG Sphere keeping watch over everyone and everything, what could possibly top the extravagance and excessiveness of the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

It's a spectacle as much as a sport. You could chalk that up to the Netflix effect as the series has reached its apex in popularity and pop culture relevance with Drive to Survive, but let's not forget F1's signature race is Monaco; Las Vegas is merely its final form.

It also could have been a complete failure.

Right off the bat during Friday's early morning first practice, Carlos Sainz ran over a loose drain cover that did extensive damage to his Ferrari and led to the session being abandoned as officials went to work around the track. The grandstands were cleared out as those in attendance were treated to a whopping eight minutes of action. The temperatures weren't the only thing chilly as fans were left out in the cold. Instead of apologizing, F1 offered $200 vouchers. Naturally, being America after all, a class-action lawsuit is already underway.

Sunday's Grand Prix was also trending towards disaster. Track temperatures continued to hover low around 16 Celsius and without a supporter series to help rubber the track and wear in the racing line, it was shaping up to be a slip 'n' slide mess. A couple of cars lost control right at the start heading into the first corner and Lando Norris crashed out a few laps later, but those proved to be early isolated incidents.

It's the race that matters the most and the Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered what Formula One does best.

Even Max Verstappen, who seemed to be the loudest critic and whose hatred could have filled the Sphere, was singing a new tune from "If I was a fan, I would tear the whole place down" to "Viva, Las Vegas." The Red Bull driver, sporting an Elvis-inspired racing suit, crossed the finish line for his record-extending 18th victory of the season.

Key moments of the GP

While the result was familiar, Red Bull looked like something we haven't seen too much of this season: vulnerable.

After Verstappen ran Charles Leclerc off of the track to get ahead at the first corner (and was subsequently handed a five-second penalty), the pole-sitter charged back and swooped into the lead on lap 16.

Sparks were flying midway through the race when Verstappen and George Russell of Mercedes made contact and scattered debris across the track. Russell received a penalty while Verstappen sustained front-wing damage but was allowed to carry on.

Both Red Bulls benefited from a cheap second pit stop under the subsequent safety car and were closing in on another 1-2 finish, however, Leclerc caught Sergio Perez snoozing on the final lap to tuck back into second place.

It's a shame Sainz was handed a 10-spot grid penalty, through no fault of his own, as his team needed to make significant repairs to his Ferrari. Sainz, who qualified second, was forced to start 12th and plummeted to the back of the field after going for a spin on the opening lap. Although Sainz recovered to finish sixth, he should have been right up there in the mix for a podium position.

The Sphere

Is anyone else obsessed with the MSG Sphere? Sure, the entertainment venue reportedly cost billions, but it was worth every penny seeing SpongeBob overlooking the action or the smiling emoji that could warm anyone's heart — yes, maybe even Verstappen's.

I mean, just look at this thing.

Great helmet or greatest helmet?

Welcome to Alpine, Ryan Reynolds. The Canadian actor, who also co-owns Wrexham A.F.C., recently became a partner of Alpine and was on-site to check in on his team.

Esteban Ocon even had a special surprise for Reynolds.

Maybe it was the fresh lid that helped Ocon finish fourth — his best result since reaching the podium in third place in Monaco back in May.

Ocon gave it "maximum effort" (Deadpool reference!), slicing through the field from 16th on the starting grid. He even had a thrilling duel with teammate Pierre Gasly as the team pleaded (a little too late) for them to hold their positions. It was for the best they swapped, though, as Ocon continued to climb while Gasly faded out of the top 10 and out of the points.

You've heard of Elf on a Shelf, now get ready for Stroll on a roll

From Reynolds in the paddock to Justin Bieber waving the checkered flag, there was surprisingly plenty of CanCon to go around. Let's not forget the Canuck on the track, Montreal's Lance Stroll, who turned in a second straight top-five performance.

Stroll surged from 19th on the starting grid and made his biggest move right at the start by keeping it clean and avoiding the opening lap incident to jump into ninth.

His teammate Fernando Alonso, who was at the centre of the aforementioned pileup, managed to recover to finish ninth as both Aston Martin cars brought home points. They've now cut the deficit down to nine points behind McLaren for fourth place in the constructors' battle heading into the season finale next week in Abu Dhabi.