F1 disguises Las Vegas snags with sensory overload and raw entertainment | Giles Richards

While the event was far from flawless, organisers can be satisfied with a race that lived up to the razzle-dazzle of Sin City

The morning after the night before in Las Vegas might so easily have been one of guilt and remorse for Formula One. Instead, as the circuit was being dismantled and the Strip returned to what passes for normality in Sin City on Sunday, F1 could reflect on being one of the lucky few who would leave up on the weekend. At least in terms of perceived success, if not cold, hard cash.

The race itself was a cracker, a contender for best of the season. Any fear of the circuit proving to be another street-based procession proved unfounded. Instead there was real racing and passing, the drivers admitting their expectations had been confounded. The upside down pig that the track resembles - turns 14, 15 and 16, where many passes were made, would be where a curly tail would protrude - had proved capable of delivering a veritable silk purse.