OLIVER HOLT: Lewis Hamilton had to settle for a different kind of win in Las Vegas… he has grown into an impressive ambassador for Formula One

The man in the flashy red jacket who announced the names of the drivers to the crowd as they walked onto the track for the pre-race parade had reserved a special welcome for Lewis Hamilton.

He worked himself into full Michael Buffer mode as the seven-time world champion climbed into the vintage car that would transport him around the street circuit. “You love America,” the announcer shouted, “and America loves you.”

It felt like he was right on both counts. When Martin Brundle approached former basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal on the gridiron to ask him how he enjoyed the evening, Shaq kept his answer short and sweet. “Lewis Hamilton, honey,” he said.

Hamilton hasn’t won a Grand Prix since triumphing in Saudi Arabia in December 2021 and everyone knew he was eager to end his drought here in the US, where he spends much of the rare downtime he can get out of his time. competition schedule.

He was also a champion in organizing the Sin City race, despite widespread cynicism and opposition to the event from several of his rivals, most notably the man who usurped him as world champion, Max Verstappen.

Hamilton, dressed as always in fashionable clothes, was seen talking to Max Verstappen

Hamilton’s race was disappointing, finishing in seventh place after a collision with Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri

Add to that the fact that his friend, pop star Justin Bieber, had been given the honor of waving the checkered flag, and it was clear that the Mercedes star was the choice of sentiment to win the penultimate race of a season that was completely was dominated by Red Bull.

It wasn’t meant to be. Hamilton started in 10th place but dropped further down the field after having to slow to avoid a convergence at the first corner and being hit from behind by Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

As Verstappen, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez engaged in a tight battle for the lead, Hamilton fought his way back until he collided with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on lap 16, causing a puncture in his right rear tire caused. .

“I thought I didn’t have a flat tire straight away,” said Hamilton, “so I was accelerating and just as I passed the pit lane entrance I felt the rear moving and I was too late to get in . had to drive a very slow lap. I must have lost forty seconds or something.”

Hamilton was never in contention to win. For the second season in a row he has been hampered by an underpowered car and even though he is outperforming teammate George Russell, yesterday’s result made it mathematically impossible for him to catch Perez for second in the Drivers’ Championship. .

So Hamilton had to settle for a different kind of victory. While the past two seasons have been fallow years for him, he has become even more of an impressive ambassador for a sport in which he has a strong claim to being the greatest racer in history.

On Thursday he had spoken well about the appeal and glamor of racing in Las Vegas and put the Grand Prix here in its cultural context. While Verstappen had whined about what he said was the emptiness of a spectacle based on Hollywood glitz, Hamilton had said he felt the sport’s return to Vegas was an important step forward.

And by the end of the race he was proven right. After a miserable start to the race weekend on Thursday, when the first practice session was canceled after nine minutes and the second only finished at 4am in front of empty grandstands, the race itself was an exciting advertisement for the sport.

The legendary British driver had to pit on both occasions when he collided with Sainz and Piastri

Hamilton has not won a Formula 1 race since 2021 and is now mathematically unlikely to finish second

Vegas provided a visually stunning backdrop, as everyone knew, but it was the drivers who stole the show. There were a galaxy of stars from the worlds of film, music and sports on the grid before the race, but none of them could compete with the men racing around this street circuit.

Even though the race for the drivers’ title ended a long time ago, this Grand Prix was a reminder of the daring of Formula 1, of the courage and skill of its drivers and of its ability to take your breath away with the speed and precision of Formula 1. the action.

It was a race of overtaking, sparks flying as the cars raced down the Strip, full of daring passing maneuvers, especially in the left corner where Sands Avenue meets Las Vegas Boulevard and the cars accelerate away past Treasure Island. and Bellagio and Caesars Palace.

It felt like the start of a beautiful relationship and gave Hamilton some satisfaction as he comes to the end of another frustrating season, hoping that next season he will have a better chance of winning an eighth drivers’ title that would take him further than the record he ever set. shares with Michael Schumacher.

“All those who were so negative about the weekend and said, ‘It’s all about the show, blah, blah, blah,’” Hamilton said. “I think Vegas proved them wrong.”

The Las Vegas circuit was originally littered with mistakes, but the race itself was a success