Verstappen equals Vettel after 'tough and lively race' in Las Vegas

Max Verstappen is now, with Sebastian Vettel, the third driver in the list of victories in Formula 1 ! The Dutchman won for the 18th time (!) of the season at the new Las Vegas Grand Prix, his third success in the United States in 2023… and certainly not the easiest of the year. The three-time world champion had to battle against tough competition led by Charles Leclerc, his front row companion on the grid.

Aggressive from the start, the Batavian got the better of the Monegasque at the cost of too muscular a maneuver, compressing the Ferrari out of bounds on the outside of the first turn. Sanctioned with a 5-second penalty for this, Max Verstappen had to work to get back to the front. “It was a tough race. I tried to attack from the start, I think we both [with Leclerc] braked very late, I lacked grip and went too wide, so the stewards gave me a penalty for that, explained the winner of the day. It put us in an uncomfortable situation, I had to overtake several cars before the Safety Car came back… it was a lively race. »

Verstappen appreciated the Show on track, thank you DRS!

Max Verstappen's luck will come a few laps later, thanks to the deployment of the Safety Car because of... his own debris on the track. Indeed, in his attempt to overtake George Russell, the Briton made contact with the Dutchman and damaged the front wing of the RB19. Despite the damage, Max Verstappen was able to continue and with a “free” pit stop, put himself back in a position to win.

“We did well not to touch [the wing], because it already seemed very damaged. The structure was intact, but it's never ideal as we had more understeer, he confided after the race. Once we had the tires for the end of the race, we were able to attack. I again had to overtake other cars to get back into the fight with [Leclerc and Pérez]. The DRS here is very powerful, so when you are in the lead the driver behind has another opportunity to come back, which makes for a lot of battles. It was pleasant. »

Thanks to his fresher tires, and despite good resistance from Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen did not tremble to win in Nevada. The pilot Red Bull, although very critical of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, even admitted to having enjoyed the spectacle on the track. “I can’t wait to come back next year” he blurted out!

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