Chloe Reynolds
Formula 1 returned to Las Vegas for the first time in 40 years, as the entertainment capital played host to a Grand Prix like no other.
Racing down The Strips under the neon lights with unusually cool temperatures was a test for all teams and drivers. Here is a look back at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and everything that happened across the momentous weekend.
Practice One
The opening practice session was brought to an early end after the red flag was shown, following a stoppage for Carlos Sainz. Less then ten minutes into the first hour, the Spanish driver hit a pothole on the famous strip and stopped on the track.
Marshals were forced to work hard to remove the Ferrari, as the clocked ticked down. However, it was soon announced that the session would not be resumed, with the FIA looking into the issue with the drain cover.
Leclerc had set the fastest time before the stoppage, with Nico Hulkenberg in second, Kevin Magnussen in third and Max Verstappen fourth. After the session, Sainz suffered a ten place penalty for hitting the drain cover.
Practice Two
After a shortened P1, the second practice was delayed — drivers therefore had to work to build up speed around the 6.201 kilometre strip.
With the session extended to 90 minutes, the drivers had to be prepared. As has been the case for most of the 2023 season, Verstappen got straight down to business and led early. The Red Bull driver squeezed his way past Leclerc and straight down the strip.
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Despite his early lead, Verstappen experienced a scruffy first run and came close to clipping the wall. A host of improvements followed, with the track and conditions improving the driver’s confidence. In the end, Leclerc held onto pole position, with Sainz finishing second and Fernando Alonso in third.
Mercedes had a quiet start to the weekend as Lewis Hamilton wound up ninth, followed by George Russell in twelfth.
Practice Three
The drivers returned to the strip on Friday night as Practice 3 commenced, with George Russell leading the way in the final hour.
The early laps saw a range of tyre compounds used, with Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu among those to suffer a lock up as a result. The front locking proved to be an issue for some drivers at the circuit. Magnussen subsequently clashed with Leclerc, forcing him off the track briefly.
“As the session continued, the track evolved”
With many of the driver’s struggling with the low grip conditions, Leclerc continued his pace-setting form by exchanging laps with teammate Sainz. Though it wasn’t long before Red Bull showed their hand, as Verstappen and Perez took the top spots.
As the session continued, the track evolved. With some occasional off track moments occurring, even the World Champion ran off at Turn 12.
Russell remained at the top of the board, three tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri, who placed in second. Logan Sargeant unexpectedly took third. Verstappen was — once again — left in fourth position. Leclerc and Sainz lost out to the red flags and ended in sixteenth and seventeenth, respectively.
With all the weekend’s practice sessions complete, attention soon turned to qualifying.
Qualifying
It was Charles Leclerc who finished in pole position after a thrilling Qualifying session in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Monacan driver had been consistently quick throughout the practice sessions, ahead of his teammate Sainz.
“The big shock of this race was Lewis Hamilton’s Q2 exit”
Several drivers struggled in the tricky cooler conditions. Pierre Gasley finished fifth, with Alex Albon and Sargent placing Willliams in sixth and seventh.
The big shock of this race was Lewis Hamilton’s Q2 exit. Sergio Perez was also out in Q2 and had to settle for twelfth place.
Race Day
Despite Leclerc starting in pole position, Verstappen took the lead from at the start of the Las Vegas Formula 1. Verstappen was then handed a five-second time penalty for forcing Leclerc off the track, before the Ferrari driver overtook after the first pitstop.
At the restart, Leclerc controlled proceedings. Perez wasn’t far behind, after benefitting from an early stop following the first lap’s incident.
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Lando Norris came away unscathed after a huge crash on the third lap, narrowly avoided team mate Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver suffered his first retirement of the season when he spun into a wall at Turn 11, before sliding down the wall all the way into a barrier at the end of the run zone. He was subsequently taken to the medical centre in Las Vegas, before being discharged.
The Verdict
Verstappen lit up the time sheets in the final laps for a landmark win in the City of Lights, with Leclerc finishing in second position and Perez in third.
Esteban Ocon secured fourth place, despite being narrowly beaten by George Russell — who had been carrying a five-second time penalty for a clash with Verstappen.
Russell’s penalty promoted Lance Stroll to fifth and despite starting in twelfth, Sainz took sixth position.
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1727371637614653623
Formula 1 in Las Vegas was sure to be an entertaining weekend and it didn’t disappoint. Following Carlos Sainz’s ten place grid penalty and Max Verstappen claiming another victory, fans were treated to a weekend of excitement.
After a spectacular three days of action on the Las Vegas strip, the attention now draws to the final race of the season at the Ys Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
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Featured image courtesy of iragazzidiredbull via Flickr. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.
