Alonso thought race was over at turn one

In brief

Alonso “thought race was over” after turn one spin

Fernando Alonso admitted the thought his Las Vegas Grand Prix was over after he spun at the first corner.

The Aston Martin driver started ninth on the grid but dived up the inside of Logan Sargeant and Valtteri Bottas into the first corner, before losing control and spinning where he was hit by the Alfa Romeo. Alonso would eventually finish in the points in ninth.

“I didn’t see the TV yet and I still need to watch what happened,” he told media including RaceFans. “I lost the car.

“I don’t know if I was in a sandwich between two cars or if I was alone – I don’t know yet. I thought it was over when I saw the Alfa Romeo and I was facing the wrong way, so I’m happy with the final result and scoring some points.”

Bottas stuck by illness

Valtteri Bottas was suffering with an illness throughout the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.

The Alfa Romeo driver qualified seventh but fell to the back of the field after he was hit by Sergio Perez in the first corner melee, then made contact with Alonso. Bottas eventually finished the race in 17th position.

“It was not great,” Bottas said. “I got this stomach bug a few days ago and it kept getting worse until last night.

“Yesterday was the worst, today was actually better. But that was not the most fun weekend for me in the end with what happened in the race.”

Macau win “one of my biggest achievements” – Browning

Williams junior driver Luke Browning described winning the Formula 3 World Cup at the Macau Grand Prix as one of the “biggest achievements of my career”.

The 21-year-old won the prestigious F3 race from pole position during an eventful race, winning ahead of F2 racer Dennis Hauger and Gabriele Mini in third in a field including former two-time Macau winner Dan Ticktum and IndyCar racer Marcus Armstrong.

“Words can’t describe this victory,” Browning said. “The standard here, these incredible drivers, I’m super grateful. For a young guy driving fast cars it’s a dream come true.

“I had all four wheels locking next to Dennis. It was tight, but it’s arguably one of the biggest achievements of my career. Like most racing drivers, I’m lucky to be here. Every time I get into the car, I’m pinching myself.”

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

F1 exceeds Las Vegas expectations as Verstappen wins one of season’s most competitive races (Washington Times)

‘Celebrities danced along on the grid and everyone seemed thrilled with the show. The stars in attendance included Brad Pitt, Rihanna, Usain Bolt and Shaquille O’Neal as F1 said it drew more than 315,000 spectators over the weekend and estimated an economic impact of $1.2 billion to Las Vegas.’

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: ‘It has a ‘wow’ setting to rival Monaco’ (BBC)

‘The city already has the Raiders NFL team and NHL’s Golden Knights. And in the days before the race, a deal for the Oakland A’s baseball team to move to Las Vegas in 2028 was struck. Las Vegas will host the Super Bowl in February. The grand prix is a big part of this strategy. The plan puts Las Vegas in direct competition with Saudi Arabia, a fight in which the Nevada city has some key advantage.’

Jos on Max’ Vegas victory: ‘He was a little bit angry’ (Verstappen.nl)

Jos Verstappen: ‘Although a bit came off, the car didn’t have any damage and thankfully Max’s front win didn’t need changed. He was happy on the hard tyres, which he managed really well after experiencing graining on the mediums on the first stint. The graining means you can’t turn in as well and it takes longer before you can go on the throttle, so that’s why he was called in for a pit stop. But in the end, he had a great time racing in Las Vegas.’

F1, the NBA and a Super Bowl: Las Vegas makes its play as America’s sports capital (Wall Street Journal)

‘The sport’s world champion left no doubt that he hated it from the moment he landed. A $10 million Ferrari was torn up by a loose drain cover on Thursday’s opening night. And a group representing 35,000 fans was so incensed by the organisers’ decision to send them home during a delay in practice that they filed a lawsuit against Formula 1.’

Lawrence Stroll: Cadillac engine news doesn’t change Andretti stance (ESPN)

”It’s really not my decision, it’s a decision between the FIA and FOM, our commercial rights holder, but I believe the business is working great with ten teams. And I’m a firm believer that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, so I think it’s right just the way it is.”

‘We had a bit of a party’: Alan Jones recalls Formula 1 success in Vegas (The Guardian)

‘It was very hot and fatiguing and there were so many corners a lot of people suffered with sore necks, and I was one. For the final six or seven laps, I would go through a left-hander and my head would fall over to the right and I would have to wait for the next right-hander for it to come back up again.’

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