Verstappen takes his 18th victory of 2023 at the exciting F1 GP in Las Vegas
The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas The race was supposed to be spectacular and the race certainly didn’t disappoint.
Although Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took another win, a record-breaking 18th place this season, he was under pressure until the end and managed to finish just a few seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez completed the top three, finishing a few fractions of a second behind Leclerc.
Saturday’s race, which started at 10 p.m., was the first F1 race in Las Vegas since 1982. It took place on a street circuit with an integrated race track the famous Las Vegas Stripand saw action right from the start when Verstappen rammed pole-sitter Leclerc off the track in Turn 1 and took the lead.
Further back, some drivers spun out of control, resulting in the virtual safety car coming out to clear some debris. The race resumed on lap three, but then McLaren’s Lando Norris crashed into the barriers, forcing the actual safety car to be deployed.
2023 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas
When racing resumed for the second time, Verstappen was still in the lead, but then received a five-second penalty for his incident on the first lap, allowing Leclerc to retake the lead on lap 16 and spectators cheering let. Meanwhile, Verstappen fought his way back to the lead and at one point came into wheel-to-wheel contact with Mercedes-Benz AMG’s George Russell, for which the Mercedes driver received a time penalty. The safety car again had to clear the debris from the incident.
After the race resumed, Leclerc was still in the lead, although with older tires than Verstappen and Perez. Verstappen pulled off a successful overtaking maneuver on lap 36, pushing Leclerc into second place, and then Perez also pulled off a maneuver on lap 43. However, Leclerc didn’t give up and he and Perez fought hard in the last three laps until the end. Leclerc made a brilliant move at Turn 14 on the final lap to retake second place from Perez and hold it until the end of the race.
Despite only finishing third, Perez has now accumulated enough points to secure second place in the championship. Verstappen was already crowned champion after the Qatar Grand Prix in October. Red Bull was also crowned champion in the constructors’ championship following the Japanese Grand Prix in September.
After the action at the weekend, Verstappen’s unbeatable points haul is in Drivers’ Championship 2023 is 549 points. Perez is second with 273 points and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is third with 232 points. Red Bull has 822 points in the constructors’ championship. Mercedes is in second place with 392 points and Ferrari is in third place with 388 points. The final round of the 2023 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is scheduled for this weekend.
2023 Formula 1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas
Below are the full results of the 2023 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +2.070 seconds
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +2.241 seconds
4) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +18.665 seconds
5) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +20.067 seconds
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +20.834 seconds
7) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +21.755 seconds
8) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +23.091 seconds
9) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +25.964 seconds
10) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +29.496 seconds
11) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +34.270 seconds
12) Alexander Albon, Williams +43.398 seconds
13) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +44.825 seconds
14) Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri +48.525 seconds
15) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +50.162 seconds
16) Logan Sargeant, Williams +50.882 seconds
17) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +85.350 seconds
18) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri – DNF
19) Nico Hülkenberg, Haas – DNF
NC) Lando Norris, McLaren – retirement
