F1 knew it couldn’t lean on quite the same intrigue for its second visit to Las Vegas. It also couldn’t realistically expect to repeat the money-spinning success of year one, which generated $1.5 billion dollars for the local economy and $77 million in tax revenue, outstripping all expectations.

Formula 1 drivers complained this week about the smell of marijuana as they prepared for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. One even joked they could fail drug tests.

Formula One drivers said the Las Vegas Grand Prix is finding its footing after its first year struggles and said they look forward to returning to Sin City for the flashy night race along the Las Vegas Strip.

Celebrities and Elvises descended on the paddock. Fireworks exploded after the race. And Formula One crowned its latest world champion, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman didn’t have the fastest car, nor has he for 70 percent of the season, he said. But he still managed to cement his name among the greats of the sport after finishing fifth.

Mercedes star George Russell emerged victorious as the winner of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched his fourth straight drivers’ championship by finishing fifth, one place ahead of Lando Norris, who’s in second place overall in the drivers’ standings.

While experts predict this year’s race will pull in slightly less than the $500 million or so in revenue for Formula 1 and the $1.5 billion in Las Vegas economic impact achieved in last year’s race, the contest and its weeklong festivities will still be a boon for all those involved.

Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix weekend as McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull fight for the 2024 constructors’ championship.

Lando Norris bounced back from his F1 championship defeat to secure pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in Qatar.The British driver, mocked by Max Verstappen for failing to win the title in a McLaren deemed superior to the rest of the field,