Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen victorious ahead of an imperial Charles Leclerc

For this penultimate Grand Prix of the 2023 season, Formula 1 makes a stop in Las Vegas. The brand new track, built right in the heart of the city, amidst its main attractions, could well hold some surprises and the appearance of a safety car wouldn’t be surprising. Charles Leclerc starts in pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell. Carlos Sainz, who had set the second fastest time in qualifying, ultimately starts in 12th position due to his penalty.

As a reminder, considering the smooth asphalt and autumn temperatures, Pirelli has decided to bring its range of softest tires, namely the C3 (hard tires), C4 (medium tires), and C5 (soft tires).

A tumultuous departure

At the first turn, Max Verstappen pushes Charles Leclerc off the track. The Monegasque loses his first place to the advantage of the Dutchman. Behind them, there’s a general mess. The first safety car is already deployed. Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso, and Valtteri Bottas take advantage of it to change tires.

A safety car quickly cleared the track, while another one entered directly after Lando Norris crashed into the wall at the end of turn 12 escape road.

Under investigation for several minutes after his excessive overtaking on Charles Leclerc at the start, Max Verstappen receives, rightfully, a five-second penalty.

Many battles and a disorderly ranking

Oscar Piastri is making a remarkable comeback. Starting from 19th place, the rookie is now in 9th place after the 11th lap and is battling with Kevin Magnussen for 8th place.

Belle performance également chez Alpine. Pierre Gasly is chasing George Russell to secure the 3rd position, while behind them, Esteban Ocon now holds the 7th place after starting in 16th position.

It’s overheating at Ferrari. We’re warning Carlos Sainz that if he can’t cool down the car, we’ll have to stop it.

The battle for first place intensifies on the 16th lap. Charles Leclerc, greatly assisted by DRS on the long straight of the Strip, overtakes Max Verstappen just before the latter enters the pits. Despite the penalty, the world champion team executes a perfect pit stop and doesn’t lose much time. The driver comes out in 11th position.

At the same time, Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton collide. An incident that costs them dearly as both drivers are forced to stop and change their damaged tires. At the halfway point of the race, everyone has stopped at least once except for Guanyu Zhou. Sergio Perez is in the lead, followed by Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc. George Russell and Max Verstappen complete the top 5.

New safety car

In the battle for 4th place, Russell collides with Verstappen, causing damage to both cars. A third safety car is deployed to clean up the debris. Most drivers take the opportunity to make a second pit stop. George Russell receives a five-second penalty.

At the restart, the challenge is to get the tires up to temperature. Everyone is sliding while Charles Leclerc has taken back the lead from Sergio Pérez. The impressive top speed of the Alpine allows Pierre Gasly to defend his 4th place from Max Verstappen. Lacking pace in qualifying, Oscar Piastri’s McLaren also shows a much better performance today and allows its driver to secure 3rd place. The two Alpines are overtaking and re-overtaking each other. The teammates are engaged in a tense battle.

On the 36th lap, Charles Leclerc executes a superb overtaking move on Pérez and takes back the first position. Verstappen, in turn, overtakes his teammate. The battle for victory once again unfolds between the Monegasque driver and the world champion.

With a few laps left, Pierre Gasly loses pace and gradually drops down the rankings. On the contrary, Lewis Hamilton’s car maintains a steady cruising pace and enters the top 10.

Three laps before the finish, Nico Hülkenberg makes a small mistake and goes straight into the escape area. He is forced to retire. The same fate awaits Yuki Tsunoda, who is a victim of a gearbox problem.

Max Verstappen ultimately crosses the finish line first, waved by Justin Bieber. Charles Leclerc seizes second place in the final seconds ahead of Sergio Perez.

The ranking