Jean Alesi on Las Vegas chaos: “McLaren’s mistake was honest – and it’s a gift to every motorsport fan. Jean Alesi reflects on McLaren’s Las Vegas GP mistake.

The championship reignites after the Las Vegas double disqualification

The opinion of the former Ferrari favorite

“It takes a zero from Norris to reopen the championship.” Helmut Marko had been very honest during the break between Brazil and Las Vegas, admitting that without at least one slip-up from the British driver, it would have been impossible for Red Bull and Max Verstappen to keep the title fight alive until Abu Dhabi.

The slip-up came in the most unexpected way. McLaren made a mistake in setting up the cars for the Las Vegas GP, and at the end of the race, the team faced a double disqualification for excessive floor wear.

Jean Alesi, in his regular column for the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, commented on the events in Nevada: “McLaren made an honest mistake – wrote the former driver, beloved by Ferrari fans – the fact that they were unable to test adequately due to weather conditions, I think, really prevented them from properly setting up the car. And the error in defining the setups caused the fatal floor wear. A spectacular blunder at this stage of the championship. But also a gift for all motorsport enthusiasts: we have a thrilling finale and a challenger capable of achieving a historic feat, supported by admiration and even the sympathy of those who do not love or support Max Verstappen.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With Qatar and Abu Dhabi still to come, what looked like a procession just one week ago has suddenly become one of the most gripping title showdowns in years – and according to Jean Alesi, every neutral fan should be thanking McLaren for accidentally making it happen.