MAx Verstappen may have been dismissive in his opening assessment of last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, but by the time he crossed the line triumphantly under the neon glow of the Strip he, like so many before, had fallen for the temptations of Sin City . On the floors of the casinos, amid the miasma of smoke and roars of admiration at the roll of a dice, Verstappen is recognized as a man who makes his own luck and no city in the world is better placed to recognize that.

As he looks to claim his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship, Las Vegas is the perfect backdrop for this unique driver. F1, which promotes the race, has spent a fortune to make this race perhaps the most striking example of how a race weekend can be turned into an event. A Super Bowl by piece was the big ambition when Liberty Media took over the sport in 2017 with races in ‘destination cities’ and in Las Vegas it has that and the potential spectacle of matching up with a world champion ready to make money again in Nevada.

The city is once again abuzz with F1, this time for hosting what is likely to be the championship decider, rather than last year’s novelty of bringing the sport here to the streets. The queue for the F1 Hub store at the Venetian stretched for over 200 meters along the man-made canals. The number of racing shirts in hotels has exploded over the week, with Red Bull and Verstappen very well represented, among fans who respect success and are aware that they are witnessing a rare talent.

Separated from the arcane magic of the craps table is Greg Martin, who flew in from Colorado for the race and has no ties to any team or driver, but enjoys what American fans call “car racing” in all its forms , attracted to the spirit of Verstappen. “He’s a fighter,” he said. “He races hard, he gives everything. That’s what you want to see. It must be tough and if it is, the best will come out on top. That’s why I came to see Max win.”

It’s a view shared by many fans here, hoping to win the F1 title in Vegas despite what is seen as ruthlessness in Verstappen’s driving. The Dutchman has indeed been punished as such, but it is also a trait exhibited by some of the greatest drivers in the sport, including Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Here and now, in Vegas, it’s about winning and Verstappen is very good at winning.

Although, as always, he was cautious when the weekend started. “I’m just looking forward to the weekend,” he said. “There are still three races to go, the end of the season is approaching and things are looking good in the championship, but we still need to score a lot of points, so we will only concentrate on that. Once we do that, you’ll get closer to the end result. The goal is of course to win the championship.”

When he does, expect a special show of recognition in his honor from the fountains at the Bellagio. And the show, lest it be forgotten, is important. Last year started with something of a debacle. The first practice session stopped after just eight minutes when a water valve cover tore loose from under Carlos Sainz’s car, ending the session, eventually leading to a delayed second practice session in front of empty stands after the staff working there reached the limit of their working hours and could no longer work. attend longer.

Yet it ended with an exciting race that more than lived up to the hype: Verstappen won after a mighty comeback. F1 had succeeded, no doubt to the relief of the boardroom.

With an over-emphasis on the entertainment last time and demands on the drivers to perform, Verstappen labeled it as “99% show and 1% sporting event” in the run-up; after a great race he was converted and sang along with Viva Las Vegas on his lap.

The circumstances are clearly different this time. Last year, Verstappen had gone into the race having already galloped to the title in a season he was in full control of, sealing it four rounds ahead of Las Vegas. This time he had to fight for it and it is entirely fitting to complete it in the city that has seen so many decisive title fights in the past.

To do this is simple enough. Verstappen is 62 points ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and if he takes the flag on Saturday evening with a lead of 60, the title will be won. Any finish for Norris will be enough, while the British driver must beat Verstappen by at least three points to progress to the next round in Doha.

F1 naturally hopes that Verstappen does it in the spotlight of a city full of spectacle and excess, which receives a lot of praise. If he fails to do so, but by a narrow margin, the specter remains that he will finish the job again at the next round, in a sprint race in Qatar in a virtually empty, soulless huge drome in the desert. . That would be the most humid squibs that couldn’t be further from the overwhelmingly festive explosion that Las Vegas has been enjoying all week.