F1 2023: Max Verstappen wins Las Vegas Grand Prix as Oscar Piastri produces great drive

Australian Oscar Piastri surged through the field – and evaded plenty of controversy – on his way to a great finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Sparks fly from the car of Max Verstappen. Picture: Jared C. Tilton/Getty

Red Bull’s World Champion-elect Max Verstappen donned an Elvis-inspired race suit and more than lived up to The King’s Las Vegas billing with a thrilling drive under the Sin City street lights on Sunday.

Verstappen defied an early penalty and mid-race broken wing to claim his 18th victory of the season and once again rewrite the record books of a historic Formula One campaign.

The Red Bull star had been highly critical of the event in the build-up to the maiden Sin City Grand Prix but was trilling ‘Viva Las Vegas’ as he waved to fans on the cool down lap after taking the 53rd chequered flag of his career.

The win moved him into equal-third all-time alongside Sebastian Vettel and behind only Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91).

Ferrari star Charles Leclerc crossed in second with Sergio Perez third.

It wasn’t the usual dominance we had come to expect of Verstappen this season, but his woes made the win all the more sweet.

Race winner Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium. Picture: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

He was slapped with a five-second time penalty for pushing pole sitter Leclerc off the track in the early exchanges and later forced to pit for a tyre puncture after contact with Mercedes rival George Russell.

Verstappen was released back on-track in seventh and set about systematically chasing down his rivals – taking the lead from Leclerc with 13 laps to run.

The Red Bull superstar continues to compile race victories in what is now unquestionably the most dominant single season by a driver in the sport’s history.

The win also marked a new Constructors’ record for race victories in a single season.

Red Bull now boasts 20 wins from 21 races in 2023, breaking the previous record held by Mercedes in 2016.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is the only non-Red Bull driver to take a chequered flag this season. His September win in Singapore now a distant memory after six-straight Verstappen victories.

With his podium in Las Vegas, Perez secured second place in the Drivers’ Championship – Red Bull’s first one-two finish in team history.

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Oscar Piastri make contact.

Aussie rookie Oscar Piastri produced a stellar drive of his own to rise from 18th on the starting grid to finish P10 and take the fastest lap extra point in the process.

Piastri pitted with six laps to go and hunted down both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly to take his place in the top 10 and deliver McLaren crucial Constructors’ Championship points.

It was a happy ending on an otherwise disastrous weekend for McLaren that was made worse when Lando Norris crashed out on lap four.

The Briton lost control on the slippery street circuit and spun out into the run-off area before crashing heavily into the barriers.

He was later transported to hospital for precautionary reasons.

Daniel Ricciardo started and finished the race in P14. He was on track to beat out AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, before the Japanese driver retired late in the race.

6.32PM: VERSTAPPEN TAKES WIN AMID LAST LAP DRAMA

World champion Max Verstappen claimed his 18th win of his record-breaking season, with victory in a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the last lap to grab second place ahead of the Mexican.

6.11PM: PIASTRI UP TO THIRD!

Our man is FLYING!

After starting 18th, Oscar Piastri is now third.

That said, he still has an extra pit stop to go so will lose some of that advantage.

Even so, it’s an incredible performance from the Aussie.

5.40PM: PIASTRI SUFFERS DAMAGE BUT STILL PRODUCES PB

Oscar Piastri’s team boss has confirmed the Australian’s car is damaged.

However, said damage can’t be too bad given he just notched his best lap of the race.

Piastri and Lewis Hamilton made contact on lap 17 with Hamilton suffering a puncture, although stewards took no action over the incident.

Piastri is currently 10th after a pit stop but was as high as sixth.

“It’s an amazing drive,” said McLaren boss Zak Brown.

LAP 17/50

Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri make contact!

The Mercedes driver picks up a puncture and Piastri damage to his car #LasVegasGP#F1pic.twitter.com/SDDg5T5tfi

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023

5.35PM: 12 SPOTS IN 16 LAPS!!!! PIASTRI ON FIRE

Australian Oscar Piastri is on a tear.

After starting 18th and narrowly avoiding a crash that saw Lando Norris retire, Piastri has surged through the field to sixth after just 16 laps.

5.29PM: VERSTAPPEN COPS FIVE SECOND PENALTY

The Dutchman has received a five-second time penalty for a turn one, lap one incident in which he forced pole position Charles Leclerc off the track.

LAP 3/50

Replays show Verstappen and Leclerc getting very close for the Dutchman's overtake into Turn 1 #LasVegasGP#F1pic.twitter.com/BOsqCSc3bI

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023

5.13PM: AUSSIE NARROWLY AVOIDS DISASTER, INTO THE POINTS

Australian Oscar Piastri is lucky to still be racing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix after avoiding a horror crash that saw Lando Norris retire.

Norris lost it in a high-speed section and went within a whisker of taking out Piastri before crashing into the barriers.

The race has been marred by safety cars as drivers struggle for grip in a city not used for F1 in 40 years.

Piastri is now up into the points after a crucial pass.

4.40PM: UFC STAR’S AWKWARD F1 RUN-IN

It’s enough to make your skin crawl. Think awkward handshakes, uncomfortable silences, and confusing interactions.

Roll all three into one and you have UFC announcer Bruce Buffer screaming at Red Bull racing star Sergio Perez on the grid at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Delivering one of his famous introductions to Perez, the bemused Mexican driver appeared unsure how to accept what looked more like a challenge from the UFC staple.

The pair then squared off in awkward silence in yet another bemusing incident which have plagued the GP over the weekend.

You okay, Checo??? 😂#LasVegasGP#F1@[e-mail]/wcOJMmXmK1

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023

4.29PM: OIL SPILLS ROCK F1 START

“Look how dirty the left side of the track is.”

Oil leaks from three Parade cars will play havoc with drivers starting on the left side of the grid, most notably Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc’s Parade cars have broken down and leaked a lot of oil on the track.

This could be a disadvantage for those starting on the left side of the track, most notably Max Verstappen.

[picture: @tgruener]#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/r2Mh5xRd0D

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 19, 2023

MAX CRACKS LAS VEGAS GP

- AFP

The Las Vegas Grand Prix has promised to “light up the sports and entertainment capital of the world”, claiming the “stakes have never been higher” than for the first street race in the casino dominated city.

But while F1’s American owners Liberty Media have invested millions in the glitzy event, their hype machine has been unable to win over the man who has utterly dominated the sport this year.

Triple world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who has 17 wins this season, began the week by criticising the event as “99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event”. In his final comments before the race, he showed he hadn’t been won over.

Asked to compare the Vegas event with the classic street race in Monaco, he chose a football analogy: “Monaco is Champions League and this is National League,” he said, referring scathingly to the fifth-tier of English football.

But it isn’t the usual driver moan about course lay-out or other competitive factors that lies behind the Dutchman’s hostility towards the Vegas event, rather the whole idea of putting on a race as part of a long weekend of partying.

“I feel like the show is important, but I like emotion. When I was a little kid it was all about the emotion of the sport that I fell in love with and not the show. As a real racer the show shouldn’t matter,” he said.

“An F1 car does not come alive on a street circuit. It is not that exciting. It is about proper race tracks. And when you go to Monza and Spa, these kinds of places have a lot of emotion and passion, and for me seeing the fans there is incredible. When I jump in the car, I am fired up. I love driving at these kind of places,” he said.

What will surely annoy the American promoters is Verstappen’s suggestion that the new wave of F1 fans partying in Vegas as the cars speed past iconic landmarks on the famous ‘strip’ don’t appreciated what they are paying hundreds of dollars to see.

“I understand fans need things to do around the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act.

“I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely (drunk) and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and then go out and have a crazy night.

“But they don’t understand what we are doing, and they don’t understand what we are putting on the line to perform,” he said.

Max Verstappen. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

“The sport should explain what the team has done throughout the season, and what they are working for. That’s way more important than having these random shows all over the place,” he added.

Those fans who turned up for the opening night of practice on Thursday would certainly have been wondering what they had invested their time and money in when the first session was abandoned after just nine minutes as loose drain covers caused damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

The spectators were then forced to leave the venue before the delayed second session at 2.30 am local time, leading to a storm of criticism that upset Verstappen’s rival Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who starts the race in pole position.

“I was sad to see how much criticism there was around the track. Of course, it wasn’t good enough and that is clear to everybody. But obviously, we must not forget also how much work there has been for many, many people in order to make this event work, and I think it looks amazing,” he said.