LAS VEGAS – An ecstatic George Russell had just won the Formula 1 race Saturday night when he exclaimed in his radio, “Vegas!”
He was ready to start celebrating in America's party capital, saying he would skip his flight back to his home in the United Kingdom to make the most of his Las Vegas Grand Prix victory.
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“I'm definitely not getting on that flight,” Russell said in the post-race podium interview with actor Terry Crews and the Bellagio fountains in the background. “I'm going to enjoy this evening.”
This night, however, wasn't just about Russell. Lewis Hamilton finished second to give Mercedes the top two positions.
Given the turmoil surrounding the team — Hamilton moves to Ferrari next year — and the disappointment of not contending for the constructors' championship, Mercedes at least had this night.
Even if some of that spotlight was shared with Max Verstappen, who clinched his fourth consecutive title, doing just enough with a fifth-place finish.
This is the first time since the 2022 race in Brazil that Mercedes went 1-2, that being the same order with Russell and then Hamilton.
Team principal Toto Wolff said Mercedes could carry over this success to next weekend’s race at Qatar because the weather and track are similar. He was less optimistic about the season finale at Abu Dhabi.
But that’s for another day. He was happy to celebrate what Mercedes accomplished on this night, but unlike Russell, Wolff was following through on his plan to return to Los Angeles on Sunday and be with his family.
“It’s good to come back with a 1-2, and I’m happy with the way we got there because we dominated the race," Wolff said. "There are laps when we were two seconds faster and it feels good.”
Brazil in '22 was Russell's only victory until this season when he won in Austria in June. He's considered a three-time winner because his July victory in Belgium resulted in disqualification for failing the car's minimum-weight limit in the post-race inspection.
Hamilton, instead, was given the victory. Otherwise, that also would've been a top-two finish for Mercedes.
Of Hamilton's F1-record 105 victories, his first with Mercedes occurred nearly 10 years ago to the day.
He had the car capable of racing to win No. 106, putting together the best practice times before stumbling in the third and final qualifying run Friday night. That landed him 10th on the starting line.
“I guess it would've been a breeze today (with a better starting position), but it's OK,” Hamilton said. “I had fun coming back from 10th. The team did a fantastic job. We don't know why we are so quick this weekend.”
Wolff said he was impressed how Hamilton fought his way through the field for such a strong finish. But next year, Hamilton will be on another team, and Wolff will be searching for ways to keep him off the podium.
In the post-race news conference, Hamilton deflected any disappointment about what could've been and instead heaped praise on the winner.
“George did a great job,” Hamilton said. “He did everything you're supposed to do. I'm happy for him, and I'm just grateful I could get back up there and support the team like I want to.”
Russell showed what he was capable of accomplishing in Las Vegas by securing the pole though he said starting first hasn't always been beneficial to him.
It was this time.
“I think we won the race from step one,” Russell said. “It was exceptional and I knew from there on in ... the only way we were going to lose the victory was if I (damaged) the tires. So it was just a case of managing my pace ... and bringing it home.”
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing