Verstappen wins wildest Grand Prix of the year
World champion Max Verstappen also wins the Formula 1 premiere on the streets of Las Vegas. The Red Bull driver finishes ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Verstappen's success brings him level with Sebastian Vettel in the "eternal" Formula 1 rankings.
Elvis sings, the casinos shine, and Formula 1 really does get its big show in Las Vegas: Max Verstappen also proved his class in the most exciting race of the year and won the premiere on the legendary Strip. In a breathless Grand Prix under floodlights, the world champion came out on top ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
There were countless, wild changes of position in the field on the street circuit, maneuvers at speeds of 350 km/h, Verstappen already seemed beaten - and yet celebrated a great success in the end: with his 53rd Grand Prix victory, he drew level with Sebastian Vettel, with only Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91) ahead of him in the all-time leaderboard. Nico Hülkenberg, meanwhile, retired shortly before the end of the race, having been outside the points in his Haas anyway.
For Formula 1, it was a strong finish to a strange weekend, from which the racing series is likely to gain the hoped-for advertising effect - but also a complaint. Following the fan fiasco at the start, a law firm in Nevada is bringing a class action lawsuit to represent 35,000 fans who did not get to see any practice sessions on Thursday for their expensive tickets: A channel cover had come loose, destroying Carlos Sainz's Ferrari and ensuring that racing did not resume until 2.30am that night. The fans had already been sent away by then to allow the track staff to finish on time.
"It's a joke if he doesn't give the position back"
At the start of the race, the first Grand Prix to be held on a Saturday in almost 40 years, everything went as the organizers had hoped. The grandstands were full, the national anthem played and Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" rattled out of the speakers. Each pilot, called in by a man with a red jacket and a loud voice, was greeted individually, and a little later the race got underway.
Leclerc relinquished his pole position advantage right at the start, Verstappen was already level on the inside track before the first corner - but then pushed the Ferrari out wide. Verstappen was now in front, but the scene would have repercussions. "It's a joke if he doesn't give the position back," Leclerc radioed to his team. Red Bull did not give the lead back voluntarily, so the stewards had to decide. A few laps later, they imposed a 5-second penalty on Verstappen, who reacted in a relaxed manner: "It's fine. Send them my regards."
Verstappen collides with Russell
At that moment, it seemed as if the world champion could make up the five seconds on the track. However, he soon complained about tire problems, Leclerc came closer - and passed him after 16 of 50 laps, using the slipstream on the 1.8-kilometre full-throttle passage on the strip. Immediately afterwards, Verstappen picked up new tires and served the penalty. After 22 laps, Leclerc also pitted, and Verstappen now had to drive through the field further back - and was not unscathed: a maneuver against George Russell resulted in a collision. Parts of the car flew off, but Verstappen was able to continue. And was fast enough to catch up again.
In the final laps, he actually overtook Leclerc, who was no longer able to get everything out of the tires. In the end, the duel between the Ferrari driver and Perez for second place was particularly exciting - Leclerc reclaimed the position from the Mexican on the last corner. The layout of the track with two long straights led to numerous attacks and counter-attacks, while the new, slippery asphalt posed a major challenge. One of the victims was McLaren driver Lando Norris, who triggered one of two safety car phases. The Englishman radioed an all-clear to the pits, but was later examined in the medical center and then in hospital.
Verstappen's victory in Las Vegas puts him in a tie with Ferrari's former driver, Sebastian Vettel, in the all-time Formula 1 win count, making him only behind Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. Despite starting in pole position, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had to give up the lead to Verstappen after the first corner due to a maneuver by the Red Bull driver. Max Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, also finished the race behind Leclerc, while Nico Hülkenberg retired before the end of the race in his Haas.
Source: www.ntv.de
