Last year Formula 1 returned to Las Vegas after a 40 year long hiatus with an all new and exciting street circuit. But racing in “The Sin City” was not without drama and chaos, so let’s recap what happened in 2023.
Before the race weekend even started the organizers and the city already faced backflash, after they decided to cover non-paid for view points. This includes hotel rooms facing the track, crossings between buildings and nearly all places where you could see the track from without paying.
The backflash came from people living and working in the city and tourists who were not there for the race or wanted to do some sight-seeing beforehand.
The drivers also had differing opinions about the race. While some of them praised liberty media (owners of F1) for putting the sport in the spotlight and attracting potential partners and sponsorships, Max Verstappen had quite a different opinion.
“99 percent show and one percent sporting event”
Verstappen stated. He has never been known as a fan of media duties so this opinion is not that unexpected from him. He also added“I don’t like all the things around it anyway. I know of course in some places that is part of it, but let’s just say it’s not in my interest.”
Free Practice Sessions 1/2/3
The first free practice session was held on November 17th at 20:30 local time (UTC -8). The session was abandoned after a red flag caused by Carlos Sainz hitting a loose metal cover. The Ferrari’s floor and energy system were heavily damaged and the fixing of these resulted in a 10 grid-place penalty for Sainz.
“OK, the show is the show and everything is going well, but I think it’s just unacceptable for F1 today.” -Fred Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal
This incident caused the second free practice to be delayed by two and a half hours from the original (00:00) starting time and was extended from 60 to 90 minutes. Many people in the grandstands were told that Fp2 would not happen at all and they were sent home. This lead to a class action lawsuit as instead of proper compensation they received merch vouchers.
The top 3 in the second free practice consisted of Leclerc, Sainz and Alonso.
The third free practice was red flagged with only 3 minutes remaining after Alexander Albon stopped on track. The top 3 consisted of Russel, Piastri and Sargent
Qualifying
The qualifying was held on November 18th 00:00 (local time). The top 3 before penalties consisted of Leclerc (1:32.726), Sainz (1:32.770) and Verstappen (1:33.104).
After the penalties it changed to Leclerc, Verstappen and Russel (1:33.112).
The Race November 18th 22:00 (local time)
The Las Vegas grand prix was action (and accident packed). Max Verstappen overtook Charles Leclerc in the first corner of the race but he did it while forcing the monegasque of the track. This move resulted in a 5 second penalty for Verstappen to which he responded on the radio with a simple “send them my regards”. Also in the first corner Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas had a small incident. Both cars continued the race with minimal damage but the virtual safety car was deployed because of the debris.
On lap 3 Lando Norris lost control of his Mclaren reportedly due to the uneven surface of the track. He was taken to the Hospital to be checked for injuries and the safety car was brought out while the marshalls cleaned the track. Norris was discharged from the hospital on the same day.
While Leclerc had a better tyre stint, Max Verstappen was able to pit under the safety that was brought while the debris from an incident between him and Russel were being cleaned.
By the end of the race Verstappen was able to gain a bit of time over Leclerc. Leclerc ended up battling with Sergio Perez for 3rd place and overtook the Mexican driver in the last lap.
The fastest lap was completed by Oscar Piastri on lap 47 (1:35.490)
The top 3 consisted of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez