On November 18, in a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix, world champion Max Verstappen overcame a five-second penalty to win his 18th race of a record-breaking season.
After numerous lead changes and a lot of overtaking, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished second in the race, ahead of Mexican driver Sergio Perez of Red Bull. Esteban Ocon of Alpine, a French driver, finished fourth.
Verstappen greeted the finish line with a chorus of “Viva Las Vegas” on the team radio, despite his harsh criticism of Formula One’s return to Vegas after a 41-year hiatus, claiming the event was a “99 percent show.”
“He loves a race like that. Even though he was on the end of a penalty. When he came back…the way he fought. I think he changed his mind about Vegas,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
The pre-race grid was packed with a wide range of personalities from the entertainment, sports, and music industries, which was definitely a show. The memories of the embarrassing early stop of the first practice on Thursday owing to a loose water valve on the track gradually disappeared.
The low grip on the circuit ensured that there was no shortage of action during the race, including overtaking and lead changes, and the night race provided the much-needed entertainment that American promoters had been waiting for from the new event.
In the race with the latest starting position in Formula One history, the Dutchman defeated Leclerc by a margin of 2.070, but he had to earn it.
It was a difficult one. At first, I made an effort to go all out. We ended up a little wide because both of us braked rather late and I simply lost my grip,” the three-time world champion remarked.
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“I was penalized by the stewards for that, which put us at a disadvantage. Verstappen continued, calling the race “a lot of fun.” “I had to pass quite a few cars and there was the Safety Car, so at that point there was a lot going on,” he said.
After starting second on the grid, the Dutchman took the lead in the first lap’s turn, but he lost five seconds for shoving Leclerc too far.
At turn 14 of the fourth lap, McLaren’s Lando Norris crashed out and spun into the barrier, demonstrating the challenging surface. The British driver was admitted to the hospital to undergo preemptive testing.
Leclerc, a Monegasque driver for Ferrari, managed to stay in touch nonetheless and regain the lead, passing Verstappen on lap 16.
After serving his penalty in the pits, the Dutchman had a lot of work ahead of him to retake the lead. On lap 22, Perez overtook Leclerc at the front.
Verstappen, who crossed the finish line in fourth place but finished eighth, was given a five-second penalty when Mercedes’ George Russell made contact with him and clipped his front wing.
Leclerc and Perez engaged in a fierce battle for the lead, but Verstappen was unmistakably closing the gap. On lap 37, he made his pivotal move after passing Perez.
Verstappen never looked back after that, with Leclerc falling to third place as he out-braked himself and let Perez pass him easily.
However, there was still one more twist to the story: Leclerc skillfully overtook Perez to take second place.
After receiving a severe ten-place grid penalty, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari started the race in 12th place and finished sixth behind Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren, an Australian, finished tenth, while Fernando Alonso, a seasoned Spaniard from Aston Martin, finished ninth. Lewis Hamilton and Russell, drivers of Mercedes, finished seventh and eighth.
