Verstappen wins in Vegas but Leclerc makes him fight for it
Max Verstappen took his 18th win of the 2023 season at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, fending off Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in a chaotic race full of incidents and drama from start to finish.
Dramatic first lap
Polesitter Charles Leclerc held his lead on the run down to Turn 1 but championship rival Max Verstappen challenged around the outside.
The two title protagonists collided at the apex, with Leclerc forced wide across the kerbs and dropping behind.
Verstappen immediately earned a 5-second penalty from the stewards for causing the collision.
Further back in the pack, Fernando Alonso spun on the low-grip surface and was unfortunately clipped by Valtteri Bottas, who in turn was struck by Sergio Perez - eliminating the Spaniard on the spot.
The ensuing debris brought out the Virtual Safety Car to control the field.
Verstappen builds gap despite penalty
After the Virtual Safety Car period ended, Verstappen quickly pulled away from Leclerc again, building over a second gap within just a few laps to negate the time loss of his 5-second penalty.
Leclerc dug deep and fought back as Verstappen's medium tires degraded, keeping the Red Bull driver honest.
The Ferrari's pressure paid off as Leclerc swept past Verstappen on track before the first round of pit stops.
Verstappen served his penalty during his stop and emerged back out in the pack, crucially behind the Mercedes of George Russell.
Crash between Verstappen and Russell neutralizes race
Verstappen wasted no time charging back through the field, rapidly catching the Mercedes of Russell.
The two collided while battling for position, damaging both cars and scattering debris across the track.
This brought out the Safety Car, erasing Charles Leclerc's earlier advantage gained from extending his first stint.
Red Bull capitalized by double-stacking Verstappen and Perez in the pits, while Leclerc was left out on older tires.
The strategy call cost Leclerc as he lost the lead to Perez.
Leclerc recovers
After the Safety Car restart, Leclerc reclaimed P2 from Lance Stroll before brilliantly finding a way past Perez to retake the race lead.
However, Verstappen on fresh hard tires quickly caught and regained the lead from Leclerc using DRS down the main straight.
Leclerc valiantly clung on right behind Verstappen but was unable to find a way back past.
A rare lock-up then allowed Perez to reclaim 2nd, but Leclerc impressively fought back and repassed him with a great move on the final lap to secure P2.
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