Celebrities from all around the country made their way to Las Vegas over the weekend for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Formula 1 has become the latest sport to draw a crowd of celebrity supporters.
Everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Venus and Serena Williams are noted fans of the sport, making their way to races over the past couple years.
Over the weekend, a portion of the Las Vegas strip was converted into a 3.8-mile racetrack for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Average ticket prices hit a record asking price of $1,667, including one package that sold for $50,000 to access a VIP suite above Turn 1.
In addition to three days of action, the VIP suites offered the best view of the highly-anticipated opening ceremony. Fans also got to see Kylie Minogue and John Legend perform on the pit straight under a drone show.
While the event was a big draw, a lot of people weren’t a fan of the location–including Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen.
According to reports from AP, the three-time reigning world champion–who won again this year–found the opulence to be over-the-top, prioritizing that over the actual racing.
Of course, once he ended up winning, his tune quickly changed. Verstappen sang, “Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!” as he crossed under the checkered flag waved by Justin Bieber.
Even though he previously criticized Saturday night’s spectacle at every chance he got, Verstappen raced in an Elvis-inspired fire suit and ended up coming in first right on the Las Vegas Strip.
“I hope everyone enjoyed it, we definitely did,” he said after the race. “Excited to come back here next year and try to do something similar.”
Verstappen and his fellow podium finishers, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, were driven in a limousine to a stage located near the Bellagio. Though Verstappen joked, “we go straight to the nightclub,” they were first treated to the casino’s famous fountain show.
“I really enjoyed it and I am especially happy that we finished the weekend on a high note because it was hurting me to see the sport that I love so much starting so wrong on Thursday,” said Leclerc. “The fact that we had an amazing race makes it all better.”
The race was the third stop this season in the United States, more than any other country. F1 said it drew more than 315,000 spectators over the weekend.
After crowning the winners, Martin Garrix launched into a DJ set to entertain the fans who opened their wallets for the most expensive spectator race of the season. Celebrities were also in attendance, dancing along to carry on the festivities.
Of the celebrities in attendance, Rihanna was one of the most talked-about. She arrived at the event in a Balenciaga black leather jacket with a black hoodie and a pair of shiny gray Balenciaga leggings.
The mother of two was joined at the Grand Prix by her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky. Also known for his sense of style, the rapper wore a blue and white pinstripe shirt over a white t-shirt, paired with blue jeans and a pair of gloves from his PUMA x F1 collection.
Their appearance comes less than a month after A$AP Rocky was revealed as the creative director for PUMA’s new partnership with F1. It’s no surprise the singer and the father of her children were at the race as they traveled to Las Vegas to make a surprise appearance at the launch of the new Puma x F1 collection.
While Rihanna is happily in love, fans couldn’t help but notice that her appearance at the Grand Prix might be awkward. Before the “Diamonds” singer got with A$AP Rocky, she used to date Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Luckily, it didn’t seem like the exes being at the same event mattered much, if at all. Hamilton came in seventh after a race which saw him fall to 19th after a clash with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The seven-time world champion noted after the race that it was one of the best of the season. In his attempt to point out that they had proved the naysayers wrong, he was seemingly referencing Verstappen’s negativity about the weekend.
“For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong,” Hamilton said. “The race was great, it was one of the best races. There have been so many people who have been negative about the show and all that – but just let it be, see how it goes and it was huge.”
“This has provided a better race than most of the tracks we go to,” he continued. “Hats off to the people who ran the show. I cannot wait to come back and hopefully have a better race next year. I am really grateful to Vegas for having us.”
Paris Hilton was another big name in attendance. She arrived at the event looking elegant in all-black, rocking a sleek leather outfit with matching leather gloves.
Other celebrities in attendance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday included David Beckham and sons Brooklyn Beckham and Cruz Beckham, Lindsey Vonn, Cara Delevingne, Gordon Ramsay and daughter Holly Ramsay, and Casey Affleck.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber and Sofía Vergara were also in Vegas for the weekend, with Bieber doing the honors of waving the checkered flag. All three stars were seen out partying in Vegas on Saturday night after the race.
The biggest names in the entertainment industry all made their way to Delilah following the festivities. The “Lounge & Fine Dining” location is already a hot spot for celebs, making it the perfect place for a post-race party.
The event also hosted Jon Hamm, Tyga, Nina Dobrev, Odell Beckham Jr., Zach Braff, Corey Gamble, Crystal Kung Minkoff, and Karlie Kloss. Questlove–the drummer and joint frontman for the hip hop band the Roots–was the DJ for the evening.
Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted walking through the Wynn Hotel with a friend earlier in the day prior to partying with friends. Even though seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is also one of his pals, Leo seemed to skip the actual race and went straight to the party.
Across the strip, Kylie Minogue performed for guests at the Alpine Formula 1 team’s afterparty, which was held at Voltaire in the Venetian Las Vegas.
Cara Delevingne sat front and center for the show, visibly in awe of the 55-year-old singer’s performance.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were also in Vegas for their own F1 festivities. The couple hosted a top-secret poker game attended by Hamm and his wife, Anna Osceola, Jimmy Kimmel, Colton Underwood, James Marsden, Maguire and Delevingne.
The newly-married couple may have been in a city known for its parties, but the tournament was for a good cause. Held at Lavo in The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the poker game benefited Affleck’s non-profit Eastern Congo Initiative, which he founded in 2009.
A source told Page Six that guests drank Casamigos cocktails as they played blackjack and poker in the swanky Italian restaurant. While the celebs played poker, the business was closed to the public for the night.
Close by at the same resort, David Beckham’s eldest son was seen talking to Michelin star chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Brooklyn had dinner with his wife, Nicola Peltz, at the Japanese Master of Cuisine’s Vegas restaurant, Wakuda.
Despite the criticism this Grand Prix got, both before and after the race, it seems like everyone who went really enjoyed themselves. It’s safe to say Formula 1 will be back in Las Vegas very soon.