Rolling the Dice – Las Vegas.*
Who could have imagined the Ham starting from his lowest ever grid slot — officially 20th until Yuki’s pitlane demotion? Redemption of sorts came when Hamilton dragged himself to 10th, though it hardly felt like a champion’s drive. His own mood made that obvious.
So what were the odds?
It was hardly surprising that Norris and Max lit up the opening laps. Norris threw a blocking move, ran wide, tried the double-back, and essentially handed first place to Max, with Russell gratefully slotting in behind.
Behind them, Russell’s partial lock-up unsettled Lawson, who corrected by bouncing off the front of Piastri. The Aussie somehow survived, though he still bled two crucial positions — killing any chance of attacking the lead. The Butterfly and Stroll were long gone anyway. Bortoletto just can’t catch a break (or brake) lately, locking up and pitching Stroll, Gasly and others into unwanted also-ran territory.
With clean air and a compliant car, Max simply controlled the pace and let everyone else wrestle for the leftovers.
“Pushing like an animal,” LeClerc radioed — pure Alonso déjà vu — while Norris, frustrated, pushed his team into telling him what to do. And McLaren, looking every bit like a squad still adjusting to life at the front, simply told him the obvious: win.
Midfield standouts were plentiful. Sainz dragged the Williams into a deserved 7th, Hadjar took 8th, the Hulk grabbed 9th, and Ocon finally bettered his teammate to sit just outside the points.
But that was how they crossed the line. Fast-forward three hours and both McLarens were disqualified for running too low — classic skid-block infringement. Everyone shuffled up two spots: Sainz to 5th, Hadjar 6th, Hulkenberg 7th, Hamilton 8th, Ocon 9th, and Bearman 10th. A tidy haul for Haas.
Norris had coasted through the final laps, losing more than three seconds per tour. Speculation went wild — surely not the skid blocks? Yet that’s exactly what it was. Ferrari did the same in Hungary with LeClerc, running too low for too long and paying the price. Had McLaren backed him off five laps earlier, the wear might have stayed inside the limit and salvaged at least fourth. But by then it was simply too little, too late.
Max now sits tied with Piastri, both 24 points behind Norris with 58 still on the table. Shades of 2021, when the title fight arrived at the finale on equal points. Could 2025 end with a three-way tie at the brink? Only Qatar will tell.
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