Max Verstappen fights back to win Las Vegas thriller as F1’s gamble pays off

• Verstappen earns 18th victory of the season in lively race
• Leclerc pips Sergio Perez at the last to take second place

After a troubling week for Formula One, days of fear and loathing in Las Vegas, the sport finally delivered on the streets of the city to such effect that what was a grand gamble genuinely paid off.

The house always wins here, so of course Max Verstappen took the flag for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, but he had to fight hard to do it which meant the racing matched the show and made for the spectacle F1 craved.