Red Bull make F1 history as Verstappen defies penalty to win in Vegas
Red Bull make F1 history as Verstappen defies penalty to win in Vegas
Max Verstappen produced a masterful performance on the Las Vegas strip to take victory in the desert, overcoming a penalty and contact with George Russell to claw back past his rivals.
Sergio Perez followed his team-mate and Charles Leclerc home in third place, securing him second place in the championship and giving Red Bull their first ever championship 1-2 in Formula 1.
The Dutchman was given a belated penalty for a first corner incident with Leclerc, leaving him behind the Ferrari and some other rivals after the first round of pitstops, but took advantage of a safety car after being nudged by Russell to pit for fresh rubber and fight back into the lead.
The first lap showed worrying signs for the rest of the race, with a number of cars spinning and making contact as they failed to get their tyres warmed up down the main straight.
However, grip appeared to come as the laps went on – with the hard compound tyre firing up unexpectedly well, and proving to be a very solid race option.
READ MORE: Sainz hits out at FIA and 'other teams' after controversial penalty
Perez gambles pay off on long odds
First corner contact proved a blessing in disguise for Perez, coming in immediately to fix some damage and putting a new pair of hard tyres on. That, coupled with the safety car for Lando Norris' spectacular crash a few laps later, put the Mexican on a favourable strategy.
Indeed, Perez led shortly after the second safety car of the race, having passed Leclerc with the aid of DRS, and looked set to challenge for the race win on the freshest tyres of the pack.
However, he was re-passed by the Monegasque driver, paying for his decision to run a higher downforce setup. Verstappen came past him (and Leclerc) shortly after, slowly pulling away into the distance.
Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton had a tricky day. The Brit took some light contact in the first corner carnage, before incidental contact later in the race with Oscar Piastri forced them both to pit with a puncture.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz's nightmare weekend did end with some points – finishing sixth thanks to Russell's five-second penalty for the contact with Verstappen, despite having taken contact and damage at the first corner.
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 results
The final classification from the strip was as follows.
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +2.070s
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): +2.241s
4. Esteban Ocon (Alpine): +18.665s
5. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +20.067s
6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): +20.834s
7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): +21.755s
8. George Russell (Mercedes): +23.091s
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +25.964s
10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): +29.496s
11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine): +34.270s
12. Alex Albon (Williams): +43.398s
13. Kevin Magnussen (Haas): +44.285s
14. Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri): +48.525s
15. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo): +50.162s
16. Logan Sargeant (Williams): +50.882s
17. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo): +1:25.350s
18. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri): DNF
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas): DNF
20. Lando Norris (McLaren): DNF
READ MORE: F1 in Las Vegas: The crazy history of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull announce strong statement over Newey departure claims
- 22 minutes ago
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
- 1 hour ago
F1 champion reveals £100 MILLION contract to keep racing
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Newey 'property hunt' reveals Red Bull exit clues as Hamilton hints at Ferrari swoop
- 2 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit calls for RADICAL change with impressive argument
- 3 hours ago
- 1
Newey TURNED DOWN F1 rivals before Red Bull decision
- Today 15:56
Related news
STAGGERING Las Vegas Grand Prix prices reach £10,000
Vegas official admits stunning contract revelation over F1 race
Ferrari still waiting on compensation for $2m accident
Key Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 feature to be used in HUGE international event
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860