The layout looked quite simple and may have been compared to an upside-down pig. The track pleasantly surprised the drivers. To get exciting competitive action, something largely outside of F1’s control, was something nice to have, not a must-have. Ironically, this actually was one of the more exciting races of the 2023 season, thanks to that thrilling late fight and action throughout the field. F1 long planned for this to be so much more than one more race, building it up as one of the greatest spectacles in global sport. This was always the dichotomy of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

While some drivers understood the need to embrace the spectacle, they still had a job to do, a race to win, 25 points to fight for. Max Verstappen, the eventual race winner, had railed against F1’s Las Vegas race being “99 percent show, one percent sporting event” as early as Wednesday. It had been a point of contention for many.

Even as F1 ended its Las Vegas weekend on a high note with one of the most exciting races of the season, a three-way fight for the win that went down to the closing stages, there was no escaping the significance of the off-track show.