F1 HITS THE JACKPOT IN LAS VEGAS ON ITS $500 MILLION GAMBLE

The three-time reigning world champion would not let up and had ys another tirade after qualifying third around:l-a.m. on Saturday. He hated all the showy stuff and just wanted Fl fo race. Verstappen...

There were missteps and mistakes, and a master class in how not to handle customer relations. But by the time Justin Bieber waved the checkered flag on Formula One's return to Las Vegas, the $500 million Sin City gamble had hit the jackpot. F1 and owner Liberty Media hosted an electrifying event Saturday night that turned out to be both one of the best races of the season and a glitzy international spectacle that can only be pulled off in Las Vegas.

It was like a show with poor reviews that suddenly becomes an overnight hit. Max Verstappen trashed the race every chance he got, but the LVGP delivered for the eventual winner and he was singing “Viva Las Vegas!” as he won for the 18th time this season. He was an instant Las Vegas convert.

Verstappen said he'd have to analyze the rest of the season before declaring Saturday night the best race of the year, but smiled and said: "It was a fun race. I enjoyed it."

Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez even suggested Las Vegas should be F1's season finale. The entire mood had changed by the time the roads reopened Sunday and deconstruction began on the circuit that utilizes the Strip. It wasn't the sellout that LVGP CEO Renee Wilm promised investors in a Nov. 3 earnings call, but said Sunday “maybe only a few seats on Heineken” went unsold and she'd yet to debrief with her ticketing staff.

Wilm admitted LVGP made mistakes leading into the race in a Sunday interview with The Associated Press. She said the tight timeline — F1 announced the race in early 2022 — and the scale of the event made for an enormous task.