Lights out and away we go

If I only ever get to go to one Formula 1 race then at least I can say I bore witness to Max Verstappen, who will certainly go down as one of the sports’ greatest drivers. He drives on the edge, and he won the Las Vegas F1 on Sunday night driving on the edge..

The event itself was incredible, a memorable experience that I think over-shone the negativity that had gone before it. As for the race, well it had every possible thrill and spill and is widely acknowledged as the race of the season.

There was a lot angst over the Vegas F1, but other than those disappointed by the calamitous first night of qualifying there was not much sign of misgivings down at the track and the surrounding area.

It wasn’t perfect. It was expensive, $100 for a tee-shirt, and we know there were unsold tickets and previously ridiculously priced hotel rooms saw their rates plummet in the latter part of last week.

Also, from my many years of going to football matches and other large sporting events, the entry and exit and security could have been better, but the 315,000 F1 fans, many clearly from Europe, would’ve taken home only good impressions.

The race itself had it all. Close quarter passing, crashes and contact, plenty of safety car action and many changes of leader and positions, something beforehand people thought the road track would not allow.

Vegas brought stars, or at least planted them, but that is not necessarily new for F1, Monaco doesn’t qualify as a venue for their track alone for example.

For me, it was a genuine ‘being there moment.’ I haven’t really followed F1 closely for years, but I was taken in by the marked support of drivers and teams, and the experience of witnessing such an electrifying event.