Charles Leclerc had one of his best races of the 2023 season so far. He came in to finish 2nd place only behind Max Verstappen. During the race, he overtook both the Red Bulls multiple times which no one had done before.
Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur praised his drivers and mentioned that Charles had a mega race.
“Charles was mega. He overtook the RB three times today – no one’s done that this season. Carlos also had a good comeback, all things considered. The SC helped us on one side, didn’t on the other, but we can be satisfied with the drivers and the team’s work today.”
Although Charles did not have the best of starts in Las Vegas, he did manage to overtake Max Verstappen for the lead at the end of the first stint. After a couple of safety cars, both Red Bulls found themselves behind Charles. Max Verstappen overtook his teammate and Charles for the lead and to win the race. Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc continued to battle for 2nd place until the last lap.
Charles Leclerc was able to get past Perez with a last-minute overtake at the end of the Las Vegas Strip. This secured 2nd place and driver of the day for the Ferrari driver.
Carlos Sainz on the other hand was supposed to start 2nd alongside his teammate. However, he was given a penalty for changing his engine and control electronics. This saw him start from 12th on the grid. He also had a bad start where he ran over the back of Lewis Hamilton. Sainz dropped to last place following this incident. However, he was able to fight his way back up to 6th place finishing ahead of both Mercedes drivers.
Charles Leclerc & co. close in on Mercedes for 2nd place
With both Ferrari drivers scoring some valuable points, Ferrari has come that much closer to Mercedes in their fight for 2nd place in the WCC. At one point in the season, Mercedes were looking very strong to finish 2nd in the WCC. However, in the past few races, Ferrari has really improved on their performances.
After their strong result in Las Vegas, Ferrari now finds themselves only 4 points behind Mercedes. Although Mercedes still has the lead, Ferrari has the momentum going into the final race of the season. All Ferrari has to do is make sure that both their drivers finish above the Mercedes drivers. This will secure the WCC for them.
Ferrari is the only other team to have won a race this season. This win came in Singapore. Every other race has been won by Red Bull. Given this fact and their performance in the last few weeks, Ferrari has a very good chance of finishing 2nd in the WCC.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton and George Russell can help the team keep Ferrari in 3rd place? Post your Answers in the comments section below.