Win No. 18 for Max!

World champion Max Verstappen claimed the 18th win of his recordbreaking season overcoming a fivesecond penalty to power to victory in a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday Ferrarirsquos Charles Leclerc overtook Red Bullrsquos Sergio Perez on the last lap to grab second place ahead of the Mexican with French driver Esteban Ocon of Alpine finishing fourth at the end of a race which saw multiple lead changes and plenty of overtakingAlso ReadIND vs AUS ICC World Cup 2023 final Public cheer despite India losing tossVerstappen had been highly critical of the return of Formula One to Vegas after a 41year absence saying the event was ldquo99 percent showrdquo but as he drove past the finish line he celebrated with a chorus of lsquoViva Las Vegasrsquo on the team radio ldquoHe loves a race like that Even though he was on the end of a penalty When he came backthe way he fought I think he changed his mind about Vegasrdquo said Red Bull team principal Christian HornerAlso ReadNo Fix to this IssueThe show was certainly evident with prerace grid packed with a host of celebrities from the world of music sport and entertainment as memories of the embarrassment of the opening practice session on Thursday being stopped early due to a loose water valve on the track faded When the race was under way the low grip on the track made sure there was no shortage of incident overtaking and lead changes as the night race delivered the entertainment the American promotors had craved from the new eventLeclerc It was a tough oneThe Dutchman won by 2070 over Leclerc but had to work for his victory in what was the latest starting race in F1 history ldquoIt was a tough one I tried to go for it at the start We both braked quite late and I just ran out of grip so we ended up a bit widerdquo said the triple world championldquoThe stewards gave me a penalty for that and it put us on the backfoot I had to pass quite a few cars and there was the Safety Car so at that point there was a lot going onrdquo added Verstappen summing up the race as ldquoa lot of funrdquo The Dutchman starting second on the grid grabbed the lead in the first turn of the opening lap but was penalised five seconds for pushing Leclerc wideThe tricky surface was evident when McLarenrsquos Lando Norris crashed out spinning into the barrier on turn 14 of the fourth lap The British driver was taken to hospital for precautionary tests Ferrarirsquos Monegasque driver Leclerc kept in close touch though and was able to get the lead back overtaking Verstappen on lap 16 The Dutchman had to serve his penalty in the pit leaving him plenty of work to do to regain his lead and when Leclerc went into the pits on lap 22 Perez took over at the frontMax never looked backMercedesrsquo George Russell made contact with Verstappen clipping his front wing an incident which resulted in a five second penalty for the British driver who crossed the line fourth but ended in eighth place Leclerc and Perez jousted for the lead but Verstappen was ominously gaining ground and after he passed Perez he then made his decisive move on lap 37 From then on Verstappen never looked back Leclerc slipping into third spot after he outbraked himself and allowed Perez to fly byBut there was one more twist in the tale as Leclerc brilliantly moved past Perez to grab second place ldquoWhat a race I enjoyed it so much Irsquom of course disappointed to only finish second but thatrsquos the best we could dordquo said LeclercThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever