Leclerc believes that Verstappen should have given him back the lead of the race

Charles Leclerc had a near-perfect weekend. After dominating qualifying (setting the fastest time in all three sessions), he started from pole position. Initially, he was set to share the front row with his teammate Carlos Sainz, but the Spaniard was penalized ten places after changing some engine components on his Ferrari due to an impact with a manhole cover. In this context, it was Max Verstappen who started alongside him.

Dispute situation

For this race start, Charles Leclerc was positioned on the cleanest side of the track. The Dutch driver’s side, however, was partially worn out. Despite this, it was Max Verstappen who had the most luck at the start and put himself in the best position. At the first corner, the Red Bull driver was almost level with the Monegasque, on the inside of the turn. However, he was unable to hold his line and ended up pushing Charles Leclerc off the track. Max Verstappen completed his overtaking move outside of the track limits, with both cars having all four wheels on the run-off area.

The reigning World Champion was penalized five seconds a few minutes later. However, the Scuderia driver believes that the regulation could be more severe. “Clearly, it was right on the limit, beyond the limit, and I believe the five-second penalty is deserved,” he stated. “He paid a penalty and I think it was the right penalty to impose. I just think that in these kinds of situations, it would be preferable for the FIA to require giving back the position. There is a certain advantage to taking care of the tires when you’re in front, without hot air. But well, that’s how it is.”

Red Bull mixed

On the side of the penalty victim, we don’t see it that way. Although Max Verstappen apologized to the Vice World Champion 2022, Christian Horner believes the penalty is a bit harsh. It was simply a racing incident. It was a 50/50 situation, explained the Red Bull team principal. They went wide at the first corner, with Max slightly ahead. We believed it was within their rights to race in the early corners or the first lap, which is why we didn’t intervene. So when he received the penalty, it meant he had to do things the hard way. It was really marginal, but we accepted it.

Despite this five-second penalty, the plans went as scheduled for Red Bull with a 20th win as a constructor. At the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the FIA also decided to penalize Max Verstappen with two points on his Super License.