The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix wasn't anywhere near as good as last year's edition, but it was far more consequential with Max Verstappen becoming the sixth four-time world champion in the history of the sport.
Before I take a closer look at the Dutchman's monumental achievement though, I'd be remiss not to mention race-winner George Russell, who didn't put a foot wrong all weekend as he claimed pole position and never looked remotely close to failing to convert it into a victory.
So dominant was his performance that I don't really have much to say about it, hence his absence from my main talking points, but it was a real statement from the Brit ahead of his first season as Mercedes' outright team leader.
Anyway, on to what happened behind him.
Max makes it look easy
The biggest story to come out of Nevada was of course the fact Verstappen won a fourth consecutive world championship, but it didn't really feel like a big story, and that's a huge testament to the Dutchman.
The very best athletes make the hardest of tasks look ridiculously easy and that's just what the Dutchman did in Vegas. He was up against it from the off with Red Bull giving him a poor rear wing and McLaren looking quick in practice, but as he so often does he stepped up when it mattered most to qualify a place ahead of Lando Norris.
Despite the fact that a world championship was on the line, he didn't show even a glimpse of nerves in the race that followed, driving perfectly from the first lap to the last and not sounding the least bit stressed on the team radio. if you didn't know the stakes, you'd have thought it was just any old race for him.
It's that relentless consistency, that ability to deliver the goods regardless of the pressure he's under or the car he's got or the conditions of the track, that has won him his fourth title. He was known for his blistering pace and his ability to pull audacious overtakes when he won claimed his first back in 2021, but three years on he's more about dependability than dive bombs.
That will lead to plenty more of the champagne, beer and gin that he was seen celebrating with in the paddock after his latest triumph. Enough for him to catch or even surpass Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Juan Manuel Fangio, the only three drivers in the history of F1 with more titles to their name? I wouldn't bet against it.
Ferrari keep things interesting
I'd like to take this moment to sincerely thank Ferrari for keeping us all entertained while Russell cruised to his win and Verstappen to his title, by closing the gap in the Constructors' Championship and completely and utterly failing to manage their drivers.
It was a successful weekend for them all things considered with the Italian team reducing McLaren's lead to just 24 points, putting their first constructors' title since 2008 well within reach. Their battle with old rivals for that championship will be more than enough to keep us all entertained for the final two rounds.
However, their solid points haul was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that they told Charles Leclerc that teammate Carlos Sainz wouldn't overtake him only for the Spaniard to do just that, which left the Monegasque a little - uh - frustrated, to put it politely.
“I did my job. But being nice f*cks me all the f*cking time. All the f*cking time," Leclerc said to his team over the radio at the end of race. Tell us how you really feel, Charles.
It was a mess that was all Ferrari's own doing, with the team orders they issued completely unnecessary given there are plenty of spots on the Las Vegas circuit where drivers can battle for position without getting particularly close to hitting each other. On such a track, letting your drivers race can be the least risky option given the danger there is of upsetting them by getting involved.
Leclerc has been remarkably patient with his team and their many mishaps over the years, but that patience is clearly starting to run out, which is an ominous sign given his teammate from next year will be Lewis Hamilton, someone with a history of intra-team fall-outs...
What more can Tsunoda do?
While Verstappen sealed his fourth title, Sergio Perez came home in 10th after being knocked out in Q3 to fall further behind in the battle for - checks notes - seventh in the standings, and just ahead of the Mexican was the man that would be replacing him if Red Bull's decision-making was based on results alone.
Yuki Tsunoda's ninth-placed finish means that he has more points than all but two midfield drivers this season, and one of those drivers is the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, which shows just how good a campaign the Japanese talent has had. He was so much better than teammate Daniel Ricciardo that the Aussie was dropped, and he's continued to be RB's main man since Liam Lawson took the free spot across the garage.
Despite that though, the New Zealander seems more likely to be given a promotion if Red Bull decide to drop Perez for the 2025 campaign. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, and Tsunoda's for that matter.
"If I knew what to do, I'd do it right now after this interview," he said when asked in Las Vegas what more he could do to convince Christian Horner and co that he should be getting that promotion instead.
At this point, it feels like the Red Bull team principal has just decided that he won't give him the seat regardless of what he does on track, for reasons unrelated to his performances. Whatever those reasons are, shunning the 24-year-old is a huge risk.
Perez's poor season has caused Red Bull to miss out on the constructors' title and made Verstappen's job much harder, so much so that the Dutchman probably wouldn't have won the drivers' title if he didn't have a dominant car at the start of the season. He most likely won't have that luxury at the start of 2025, so he'll need a capable teammate more than ever, but his team don't seem willing to give a chance to the man most capable of being that, and that could prove costly.