With the Las Vegas GP done and dusted, the fans witnessed a pretty entertaining race. Although Max Verstappen won the race, it was a bit challenging. The Dutch driver had to overtake quite a lot of cars after a poor start. After the race, the top 3 finishers were stuck in a Rolls-Royce on the way to the podium. Charles Leclerc asked the Red Bull drivers about their strategies. This was followed by an irritated face on Leclerc’s face as he realized that the strategy he had was wrong.
During the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as expected, a lot of drivers did not have a grip on the tires due to the new tarmac and the cold tires. Max Verstappen, starting in P2, outbraked himself while going into the 1st corner. Although he took the lead in the race, he was given a 5-second penalty for forcing Charles Leclerc out of the track.
He never gave up 💪
Charles Leclerc’s incredible last-lap overtake on Sergio Perez for second place! 🤯😮💨#LasVegasGP #F1 @ScuderiaFerrari @Charles_Leclerc pic.twitter.com/xHWOCghqwA
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023
Leclerc was able to stay close to Max for the 1st stint of the race. Just before Max was called into the pits, Charles made a move for the lead. After the pit stop, Max was stuck behind a line of cars due to his 5-second penalty. At this point, the win looked very likely for Charles Leclerc.
While trying to fight his way back, Max Verstappen had contact with Goerge Russell. This left a lot of debris on the field, triggering a safety car. Both the Red Bulls were able to take advantage of this safety car and get themselves close to Leclerc. Max Verstappen went on to take the victory. Sergio Perez was able to pass Charles Leclerc with a few laps remaining. However, on the last lap, Charles made a spectacular move with older tires to take back the 2nd place finish.
Out of context formula 1 pic.twitter.com/0SQtOCCFUM
— F1 Reaction Pictures (@FormulaReaction) November 19, 2023
After the race, Charles asked both the Red Bull drivers during their ride to the post-race interviews:
“You both stopped under Safety Car?”
To this, Max said yes and Charles was visibly disappointed with his strategy.
It was only after the race, that Charles found out that the Red Bull drivers had pit under the safety car. Charles must have immediately felt that he could have won the race if he had also taken advantage of the safety car.
Max Verstappen hilariously goes into party-mode with Charles Leclerc after the Las Vegas GP
After an F1 race, the drivers usually go into a cooldown room. For the Las Vegas GP, the podium finishers were asked to get inside a Rolls Royce as the car took them to the post-race interviews. On the way, Charles asked where the car was taking them. To this, Max replied: “Straight to the nightclub! See you tomorrow… Or not!”
Max Verstappen is known to enjoy partying after his major wins. Christian Horner once said that Max was wasted after the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. The city of Las Vegas is popular for its nightlife. However, Max may have to hold out on partying until next week.
Charles Leclerc: “Where are we going?”
Max Verstappen: “Straight to the night club.”pic.twitter.com/YwUsuMdzlL
— Laura 🇲🇽 (@lauravettelista) November 19, 2023
Although the Las Vegas GP is done and dusted, the drivers and teams will be off to Abu Dhabi next week for the season finale. So the team and drivers may not have much time until they have to pack up and transport the equipment on a 19-hour or so flight. Abu Dhabi is also 12 hours ahead of Las Vegas time. So the driver will need to get used to the schedule of the Middle East as well.
A few weeks back, there was concern that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would not take place due to the Israel-Hamas war. However, F1 has confirmed that the race will go on and the necessary security measures will be taken to ensure the safety of everyone at the track.