F1 driver Colapinto blasts post-Las Vegas Grand Prix fireworks show
Not everybody is a fan of the spectacle that is the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, and that includes drivers participating in the race.
Inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen, who also won this past weekend’s race, aired his complaints about the flashiness of the race during the 2023 race. Now Argentine driver Franco Colapinto, who races for Alpine, can be added to the list of those who aren’t in favor of the hoopla surrounding Las Vegas’ event.
Colapinto, who struggled during the race, finishing 14th out of the 20-driver race, let his frustrations boil over from the track while beginning a post-race interview scrum just as a fireworks display over the Strip started, marking the end of Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
“I can’t hear you at all,” Colapinto told the interviewer in Spanish after being asked the first question.
The 22-year-old driver’s concern quickly turned to animals that might be affected by the loud fireworks display, taking place just after 10 p.m. Saturday.
“The animals,” Colapinto said. “It’s 10 p.m.”
That’s a wrap! The 2025 @F1 #LasVegasGP ends with a bang as fireworks light up the sky in celebration of @Max33Verstappen’s big win. 🏁 ✨
📸: Mick Akers @mickakers/ Las Vegas Review-Journal pic.twitter.com/tTClKLLQhm
— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) November 23, 2025
It is common practice for Southern Nevada officials to send out warnings about keeping animals indoors ahead of the July 4th holiday, when fireworks are lit off around the Las Vegas Valley, which can cause fear and stress to animals.
After a reporter told Colapinto that no one sleeps in Las Vegas, he questioned if event organizers thought it was a holiday, asking, “Do they think it’s Christmas?”
Colapinto hasn’t had much luck on the track this F1 season, sitting 20th in the driver standings, which is one place out of dead last.
After his concern for animals, Colapinto’s rant then focused on the financials of hosting such an extravagant fireworks display.
“Do you know how much it costs?” Colapinto asked a reporter about the fireworks before uttering an expletive in English.
Colapinto, who made his F1 debut in 2024, could come around to the spectacle that is the Las Vegas Grand Prix in future races, especially if he has success on the track.
Verstappen, after his initial 2023 rant about the race, seemed to be enjoying himself Saturday night after winning the event for the second time in three years.
The F1 star was seen donning specially made Lego sunglasses while being driven around the track post-race in a pink Cadillac, also built out of Legos, driven by Hollywood personality Terry Crews. The four-time F1 driver’s champion also was seen leaping over a partition into the hands of his Red Bull team, which added to the spectacle of this year’s event.
Verstappen, one of the sport’s biggest stars, said during the post-race news conference that he understands that F1 and event organizers must balance both the sport and show aspects of the race, being that it is in Las Vegas and that’s what attendees expect.
“Some people like more show added. Some people like different kinds of tracks as a fan also,” Verstappen said. “And I also have my opinions about what I like. Some weekends I like more than others. I still like to be in Vegas, but I’m personally less of a showman. I’m not really into that. But I get it, it’s part of the calendar. If you’re in Vegas, it needs to be like this. So, I get it, and that’s fine.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Staff writer Ricardo Torres-Cortez contributed to this report.
