Max Verstappen won a pulsating F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix despite being penalised for a controversial overtake on Charles Leclerc at the start.
The Red Bull driver had to fightback from a five-second time penalty for forcing Leclerc wide at Turn 1, passing both his teammate Sergio Perez and Leclerc for a second time en route to victory in an eventful race that featured two Safety Cars.
Leclerc appeared to have lost out on second place to a recovering Perez when he ran wide in the closing stages, but the polesitter seized the position back with a brilliant last-lap overtake.
Perez had to settle with the final spot on the podium after losing a place on the last lap for the second time in two races. However, the result sees the Mexican seal second place in the championship to give Red Bull their first-ever 1-2 finish.
Verstappen’s victory was his 18th from 21 races in a dominant 2023 campaign and also marked a record-breaking achievement for Red Bull, who have surpassed Mercedes’ previous tally of 19 wins in a single season.
More to follow…
Keyword: F1 Las Vegas GP: Penalised Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc to win thriller