The Las Vegas Grand Prix might be a new track in Formula 1, but we’ve been given an oh-so-familiar result. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc bagged his fifth pole position of the 2023 season and was determined to end his pole-win curse, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen yet again emerged as the race winner.
To Leclerc’s credit, he drove a perfect race and was battling the Red Bulls head-on all throughout the Grand Prix. It was a pleasant sight to see Max Verstappen having to battle other drivers for position, as he usually speeds off into a league of his own.
Both Red Bull cars were relentless and managed to overtake the pole-sitter, Leclerc, but the lone Ferrari held its own. It was a scary moment for Leclerc when he was too wide at turn 12 in lap 43, causing him to go off track and relinquish his position to Checo, who had been on his tail since lap 37.
Leclerc and Perez were in a dogfight for second place, but it was the Monegasque who emerged as the winner in that battle after a stellar overtake at turn 14 in the final lap of the race. Charles extends his unwanted streak, but he dominated Sin City from the practice rounds all the way to the podium. He split the Red Bulls on the podium by finishing second, while Verstappen and Perez finished first and third, respectively.
Carlos Sainz takes a 10-place grid penalty
The scarlet Ferraris finished strong in the qualifying sessions by posting the two best times after Q3. Charles Leclerc bagged his fifth pole position in the season, while teammate Carlos Sainz finished with the second-best time in qualifying. It was supposed to be a Ferrari front-row lockout, but due to a bizarre incident in the practice session, Sainz will have to start 12th on the grid.
The practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix was cancelled after Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari sucked up a drain cover from the track’s surface. The drain cover smacked the Spaniard’s car due to the immense downforce created by F1 cars, which causes loose objects on the track to jostle up onto the cars.
The FIA released an official statement explaining that the concrete around the drain cover was not sturdy enough and failed. “Following inspection, it was the concrete frame around a manhole cover that has failed. We now need to check all of the other manhole covers which will take some time.” The FIA stated.
Due to the incident, Sainz’s car took considerable damage and needed multiple power unit elements to be replaced. Adding insult to injury, this is the third Energy Store unit replacement for Ferrari this season, but according to Article 28.2 of the Sporting Regulations, teams are limited to two Energy Stores per season, and exceeding these limitations would result in a 10-grid place penalty. The grid penalty resulted in a dip in his Las Vegas 2023 odds at SBOTOP as well.
Ferrari, rightfully so, requested for penalty-free repairs due to the bizarre nature of the incident, but the race stewards respectfully declined. “The stewards determine that notwithstanding the fact that the damage was caused by highly unusual external circumstances, Article 2.1 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations obliges all officials, including the Stewards, to apply the regulations as they are written,”
This incident clearly affected Sainz’s output throughout the weekend. “Unfortunately as the session finished the team told me I was taking a 10 place grid penalty for something that I and the team have no fault and obviously this has changed completely my mindset and my opinion on the weekend and how the weekend is going to go from now on.” He told reporters.
Lando Norris out in the first few laps
Norris has been on an upward trajectory during the latter half of the season, as he finds himself on the podium in almost every race since the Singapore Grand Prix. Unfortunately for him, his weekend in Las Vegas prematurely ended after just four laps into the Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver’s rear axle locked up while he was breaking into turn 12, causing him to spin out and hit the TecPro barrier at such high speeds. The crash was devastating enough that the 24-year-old got winded and needed immediate medical attention.
He was tended to by the medical staff at the track before being transferred to the University Medical Centre as for extensive investigations. The McLaren team went to social media: “Following Lando’s incident earlier, he was transferred to the circuit Medical Centre and has now been taken to University Medical Center for further precautionary investigations.”
After a few hours, McLaren officials then posted one of the best best Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 updates saying “following further precautionary checks, Lando has been discharged from University Medical Center.”
This is just another example of how grueling this sport can be and that Formula 1 drivers are one of the most resilient athletes in the world.
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