Verstappen wins as new Las Vegas GP hosts thrilling debut
LAS VEGAS -- Max Verstappen battled back from a five-second penalty and a midrace collision to take a victory at Saturday night's debut Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Dressed in a white Elvis Presley racesuit and driving with a Las Vegas-themed livery on his Red Bull, Verstappen broke into a rendition of "Viva Las Vegas" on team radio as he returned to the pits -- after spending a large proportion of the weekend criticising F1's decision to race in Sin City.
The Dutch driver has dominated the 2023 season and secured his third title in October.
The thrilling 50-lap grand prix saw the lead switch back and forth between Verstappen, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez, with Verstappen sealing his 18th victory of the season with a pass on Leclerc on Lap 37 at the end of the 1.2-mile drag down the Strip.
It meant Las Vegas' $500 million event ended on a high note after a week featuring some controversy in the buildup due to safety issues in the first practice and a delayed second practice that left fans out of pocket.
Behind Verstappen, Leclerc came out on top in a last-lap battle for second place with Perez, again taking advantage of the slipstream on the Strip to complete a move into Turn 14. The Ferrari driver had been in a dominant position earlier in the race after Verstappen was hit with a five-second penalty for forcing him wide at the first corner.
Leclerc kept pace with the Red Bull despite losing the lead at Turn 1 and passed Verstappen for first place on Lap 16 of 50, convincing Red Bull to pit its driver the same lap. After he served his five-place penalty, Verstappen emerged from the pits in 11th place behind both Leclerc and George Russell, who had been running third in the opening stint of the contest.
Verstappen attempted to pass Russell for position at Turn 12 on Lap 25, but the Mercedes driver cut back across the Red Bull on the entry to the corner, causing a collision and leaving debris scattered across the circuit.
A safety car was deployed to clean up the mess, presenting the opportunity to change tyres without the usual time loss in the pits. Perez, who had made a pit stop on the opening lap for a new front wing, took up the opportunity and ended up in second place once the pack had been shuffled.
Verstappen also pitted during the safety car segment, while Leclerc, who risked losing track position if he came into the pits, was left out by Ferrari. When racing resumed on Lap 28, Perez's fresher tyres gave him an advantage over Leclerc, and Perez completed a pass for the lead on Lap 32.
Leclerc fought back on Lap 35 and retook the lead from Perez, but the battle between the two also was allowing Verstappen, who was the fastest of the three, to reel them in. Verstappen passed his teammate on Lap 36 at Turn 14 then did the same to secure the lead from Leclerc on Lap 37 by out-braking the Ferrari as they turned off the Strip.
Outside the top three, Esteban Ocon took fourth place ahead of Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz, all of whom had eventful starts to the race in the chaos of the opening corner. Lewis Hamilton, who dropped to last place when he collided with Oscar Piastri at Turn 14 on Lap 16, recovered to seventh ahead of his Mercedes teammate Russell, who dropped to eighth with a postrace five-second penalty for his collision with Verstappen.
Fernando Alonso took ninth ahead of Piastri, who had to make a late pit stop as he had not used more than one compound, as per the regulations. Lando Norris was the only driver not to make the finish after a dramatic accident on the run down to Turn 12 in which the rear of his car stepped out of him and spat him to the barriers.
The final race of the 2023 season will take place next weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.