Max Verstappen won an intriguing Las Vegas Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in a hard fought inaugural event at the street circuit.
Verstappen took the lead from Leclerc at Turn 1, running deep and forcing the Ferrari wide and off-track. The robust move earned the Dutchman a 5-second time penalty.
Read more: F1 2023 Las Vegas GP – Race Report
Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton were all involved in Lap 1 incidents.
A Virtual Safety Car for debris allowed Perez to stop for a new front wing at the end of Lap 1. Lando Norris crashed out the race on Lap 3, triggering the full safety car, vaulting those that stopped on the opening lap up the order.
A second safety car was triggered at the halfway stage as George Russell and Max Verstappen came together. Both drivers sustained damage in the coming together, but continued.
The timing of the safety car was particularly beneficial for Perez, who afterwards was able to claim the lead from Leclerc despite starting from P12.
Leclerc reclaimed the lead on Lap 35, but was unable to prevent Verstappen from claiming Red Bull’s 20th win of the season, the Dutchman’s 18th.
A last lap overtake saw Leclerc claim P2 ahead of Perez in a thrilling end to the race. Esteban Ocon finished fourth ahead of George Russell, but a five second time penalty for the contact with Verstappen dropped him to eighth.
Lance Stroll maintained an impressive fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of Sainz and Hamilton. Fernando Alonso crossed the line in ninth, followed by Oscar Piastri who picked up a bonus point for fastest lap.
[motorsport_result id=’137864′]
