From the diplomatic response to Ferrari chairman's pointed remarks, to Cadillac's looming dilemma, renewed manhole cover concerns and a surprise change in F1's medical leadership, Las Vegas delivered plenty of storylines away from the timing screens
Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix was not as dramatic on track as it has been in previous editions, but off track it certainly was as the McLaren drivers both ended up being disqualified.
While the technical infringements drew attention, there were also plenty more talking points during the weekend at Sin City.
Ferrari drivers respond to Elkann
One of the biggest talking points heading into the race weekend centred around the recent comments from Ferrari chairman John Elkann, when he followed a disastrous Sao Paulo Grand Prix by telling his drivers to “focus on driving and talk less”.
Leclerc had no issues with Elkann’s comments
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Elkann’s comments appeared to back other aspects of the team but highlight the drivers, yet both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were aligned in brushing off the words used and downplaying them. Leclerc in particular kept referencing the fact that Elkann had been in touch prior to him even seeing the comments, explaining what he meant by them and that they were intended to be taken positively.
There were still some telling moments during the two drivers’ media sessions, though, as Hamilton admitted he could focus no more on his job and driving, and if anything, he needs to get better at switching off in his spare time.
Leclerc similarly declared himself pleased with his performances during a tough season for Ferrari so far, and given what he has been capable of when the car has been anywhere near competitive, it’s hard to criticise his efforts so far this season.
It is hard to see how Elkann’s words could be taken positively by the drivers themselves, but the pair know there are bigger problems to address ahead of 2026 given the lack of a victory this year, and by heeding his comments in one sense by not biting back and defending themselves too heavily, they both opted against adding to the situation.
Herta could give Cadillac a headache
Cadillac had a significant presence in Las Vegas, with a Paddock Club suite allowing the team to showcase its branding and image to guests alongside its future competitors, and ownership group TWG enjoying an even bigger footprint next door.
Cadillac’s presence was felt in Vegas
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There were also a number of key personnel on site, with team principal Graeme Lowdon joined by TWG Motorsports chairman Dan Towriss and newly-hired global head of commercial strategy Tyler Epp.
While no time has been anything other than busy for the newest team on the grid, there has been a ramping up of on-track action after a test in a 2023 Ferrari for Sergio Perez, and an outing in a previous-generation Formula 2 car for Colton Herta.
And it’s Herta who could give Cadillac a headache next year, given the dynamic the team is looking for from its race drivers. Perez and Valtteri Bottas both say they need to work as collaboratively as possible to help move the team forward as its tackles its debut season and builds its infrastructure, particularly if it starts at the back of the grid.
But Herta is held in extremely high regard by the team, and is set for a number of FP1 outings. If he were to excel in F2 and secure the necessary superlicence points to race in F1, then it feels almost inconceivable that he would be told he can’t make the step up.
Towriss offered a knowing laugh at the idea of having to deal with such a situation, simply saying: “There’s a lot of things that have to play out”. And while that’s true, a strong start to Herta’s F2 career could immediately increase the pressure on the two race drives to ensure they are not at threat of being replaced after just one year.
Manhole disputes
Party like its 2023, we had drama relating to manhole covers again in Las Vegas this year.
The action went on untroubled after Thursday’s issues
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The end of FP2 saw a marshal reporting potential movement of a cover near Turn 17, leading to a red flag and an inspection. Race control was happy to restart the session before further doubts curtailed it slightly prematurely, although F1 Academy qualifying took place straight afterwards without interruption.
As the F1 Academy cars do not produce the same levels of downforce, there was still a need to carry out further inspections overnight on Thursday, with race control and F1 personnel all looking at the manhole cover in question, and a number of others on or near the racing line.
While there had not actually been any incidents or clear issues – simply a photo showing some movement of one cover – the FIA and F1 took precautionary measures to add additional welding to 15 covers in total.
The odd thing was the handling of the situation. The FIA publicly explained the work it claimed to have done, while F1 disputed the wording used at times and the fact that anything was actually loose.
Lando Norris’s dramatic drop in pace at the end of the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix alerted race officials to look closely at McLaren’s cars. With both then disqualified, Max Verstappen is back in the title race
By
Mark Hughes
This is a street circuit where regular inspections and maintenance work are required at all times, but it appeared that F1, heavily invested as a promoter in the Las Vegas race, of course, was overly concerned about the optics.
In reality, both the sport and the governing body should be praised for being proactive and overly cautious with any potential track issues, as they were successfully addressed, and the remainder of the weekend went off without a hitch.
I joke about 2023, but it’s clear the memory of Carlos Sainz‘s Ferrari getting severely damaged by a drain cover still has an impact, and first impressions are hard to shake.
Credit where it’s due, the race organisers keep working to improve the track build, and the FIA prioritised safety to ensure any incidents were avoided. It was exactly how any slight concern should be handled.
A new doctor for Christmas
OK, I’m playing fast and loose with a Dr Who link there, but Formula 1 will have a new medical delegate to unveil over the winter, with Dr Ian Roberts leaving the FIA at the end of the season.
Dr Roberts is leaving the FIA
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Dr Roberts has been the FIA’s F1 medical delegate and chief medical officer since 2013, but his 12-year stint in those roles is coming to an end. Roberts had already stepped back slightly from attending every single grand prix, and led a team of doctors within the FIA, but his departure has still come as a surprise.
While he became an even more well-known name to F1 fans for his role in responding to Romain Grosjean‘s terrifying crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Dr Roberts has been an integral part in what is an ongoing push for safety improvements at the FIA.
That said, the governing body has questions to answer after Vegas due to the early-race errors that led to the track being declared clear and cars arriving at racing speed at Turn 1, only to find a group of marshals still making their way back towards the barrier in the run-off area.
The excitement and focus over the McLaren disqualification drama meant the incident got overshadowed, but it was another worrying sight just two races after Liam Lawson‘s near-miss with two marshals on track in Mexico City.
