F1 Hit Every Cultural Angle In Vegas

…One day you’re committed to LSU, the next day the world’s second-richest person calls. That’s how the country’s No. 1 ranked quarterback recruit, Bryce Underwood, flipped to Michigan for a cool $10.5 million. 

These Are The Olympics On Steroids. The “Enhanced Games” creates a Wild West for Olympic athletes looking to compete in a league without drug testing. 

Jaren Jackson Jr. just retired the award for best pregame sports routine. The Grizzlies star has been balling this season, and it’s all thanks to his little helper.

Lamar Jackson is one-of-a-kind, and there’s nothing that made us smile more than the NFL MVP showing off his custom Pelle Pelle jacket. He’s living out all his childhood dreams.

Rajah Caruth is the truth. Imagine breaking boundaries by being NASCAR’s third black national champ, and doing this while enrolled at Winston Salem University. 

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Vegas was the epicenter of sports and culture (again) this weekend for a pivotal F1 race. So we tapped in with one of our favorite F1 writers. Lily Herman, creator of the Engine Failure newsletter, which ranges from the most popular F1 fanfiction pairings on the web to WAG sponcon that’s gone totally awry. Lily, what say you about this big F1 weekend? Take it away!

Formula 1 had a lot to live up to after the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last year, which, while “successful” (depending on who you talk to), was full of teething problems that spoke to many of the sport’s ongoing battles.

Second time around in Sin City, however, F1 seized the moment. This past weekend marked the coronation of the sport’s unlikely rise to the very heart of the cultural zeitgeist.

And the rest of the sporting world showed out for it. Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield were in attendance. Suni Lee and Rory McIlroy, too. Shaun White and his Patron were inseparable. They were joined by the Who’s Who of Hollywood: Adele popped up in the McLaren garage, Paul Mescal turned heads in the paddock and Jared Leto was also spotted. 

Amid unprecedented global interest in F1, even the competition’s oft-overlooked names are getting their time in the spotlight. Washington Post  writer Kent Babb—widely considered one of the best in the biz—has covered F1 in the past, but I wondered when he would finally profile a driver, and who would get that honor. We have our answer: Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

The Drive to Survive crowd knows the broad strokes of Ocon’s story — that his family sold everything so that he could kart at an elite level as a kid and that he’s known to be elbows-out with teammates (and, well, everybody). A  Kent Babb profile, though,  signals a certain cachet not just for Ocon but for the sport as a whole. To Babb, the Frenchman’s journey isn’t merely interesting, it’s cinematic.

And speaking of cinema…

Brad Pitt Is Still Filming the Damn F1 Movie. Fans are split on the upcoming blockbuster, which reportedly has a completely bonkers $300 million budget. There’s been increased interest since the public got a glimpse of Pitt and co-star Damson Idris at Silverstone in 2023. This weekend, Pitt was seen in character filming a crash scene and “fainting” on the side of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

As expected, sponsors weren’t going to let the moment go to waste. “Which brands weren’t at the LVGP?” may be an easier question to answer. Word in the paddock throughout the summer was that some companies were going to skip major campaigns at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas last month to put all of their eggs in the Vegas basket. 

To name just a few of the companies in Vegas: Dermalogica, Patron, WhatsApp, Evian, Tommy Hilfiger and amfAR were out in force with brand activations, dinners, galas, and more.

Will Las Vegas stay one of Formula 1’s marquee races? I’m a believer in the Rule of Three; next year’s Grand Prix could be The Big One.

He did it again. Kendrick Lamar blessed us with a surprise album, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Most major leagues are in full swing, and every athlete has the project in rotation.

Starting off with the usual suspects… it took Russell Westbrook approximately 0.3 seconds to hit a mean jig during warmups to Squabble Up, taking us back to when he shared the stage with KDot at The Pop Out. The Brodie had the last laugh on Instagram beating and trolling, of all teams, the Lakers with another Kendrick track.

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The Lakers have a live DJ at practices now, and he’s already on the case. We haven’t seen anything from LeBron, yet. Known for his lip-syncing when a dope album drops, King James is currently on a social media detox. While we endorse stepping away and protecting your mentals, this is a tough battle for the GOAT not to acknowledge the GOAT online.

There’s a whole lot of ‘Dodger Blue’ on the album. We’re not just talking about the song either. ‘Not Like Us’ became the rallying cry during LA’s World Series run, and now Kendrick tapped in with one of Fernando Valenzuela’s favorite singers on three tracks. Deyra Barrea crushed it, just like she did honoring Valenzuela at the World Series.

There’s been a crazy sports trend with the last four Kendrick albums. They  foreshadowed all four Warriors titles during the Stephen Curry era. New Kendrick album, and Golden State is keeping on TVs on with its hot start. Fifth ring loading?