Extended Race Highlights | 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix

From Las Vegas, this is Formula One. The world's greatest sport awaits its newest stage. This town has waited 40 years for the pinnacle of motorsport to return. And this will be a Saturday fight night like no other that this town has seen. It is showtime. Our Saturday night fight is five lights away. And Formula One goes racing on the streets of Las Vegas with Charles Leclerc cutting across Max Verstappen, who is on the dirty side. The top two go off the road. Do they open the door for George Russell? Massive spin in the middle of the pack as well. Max Verstappen takes the lead in the opening 200 metres of the Grand Prix. But he was deep into the first turn as he did so. Cars absolutely everywhere. Russell is in third, Gassi is in fourth. Kevin Magnussen has improved a couple of positions as we have the yellow flag out in sector one. Sainz is at the back, Bottas and Alonso were involved in that as well. As they scrub off the speed, downturn five. And despite a chance to try and fight back DC, it's Charles Leclerc in second and Max Verstappen leads. Yeah, that was a very surprising getaway in my mind from Max. What a brilliant start from the dirty side of the grid. And typically aggressive Max on the run into the corner. Perez, who started 11th. He was directly behind Fernando Alonso, who was directly behind Valtteri Bottas. So did they all meet in the middle when they came down there? Alonso's in as well, so is Bottas. So here we go. We go to the race start. Look at the launch from the P2 man. Max Verstappen off the line and then he's going to dive to the inside. They both go off. I thought George Russell might have an opportunity. There was a decent enough getaway initially from Charles Leclerc, but he glances in the mirror, realises he has to go defensive. And he's at the mercy of the line that Max takes. This needs to be addressed now. It is a joke if he gives the position. He wasn't in front at the apex and he pushed me wide. So he needs to give that position back. I completely agree with Leclerc there. As we go on board with Valtteri Bottas, this was his best start of the year, but he only really made use of it into turn one. A little wiggle there and he's just wrong place, wrong time. Does get tagged in the back as well. So they're fighting for space, but no idea of grip levels at this stage, and that is why he needed the nose change. Let's see what happens to Carlos. You're going through all that oil dry. Oh, he tags Lewis. Yeah, he just went in too deep. The stewards are looking at lap one, turn one. It's under investigation as a result. And oh, who's gone off the road in the background there? Lando Norris, I think it's the McLaren. And Lando Norris goes off the road at turn 12. Norris into the barriers. The safety car, the full safety car is out. And we have had a dramatic start to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Lando Norris deep into the runoff area there. And that is a strange one. Looks like unless there's been an issue with the car, it looks like he's lost it with combined lateral braking. Just misses the back of his teammate as he makes his way to the tech pro barrier there. So, you know, a good thing with a long crash is the energy is dissipated. Look, I think he touched. I think we could hear some touching of the ground and it's unloaded the car. And he's got in this sort of tank slapper situation. Minor lock up there for Charles Leclerc. Wow, he's almost into the gearbox of Max Verstappen. Now the big question is, how early will Max bolt? And it looks like he's gone already. He's gone and he's caught them napping a little bit. That lock up into 14 definitely hurt Charles' exit. And now no pressure from behind Max Verstappen already with a massive 1.1 second gap into turn one. The restarts have been phenomenal. Here's a chance for Oscar Piastri looking to make a move on the dirty, dusty part of the racetrack. Hard tyres versus soft. You should not be able to fire those hard tyres up in a way where you're able to get by, and yet the Australian driver was able to do so. Sole remaining McLaren now up to 10th position. There were two drivers on soft tyres. That's the grippiest tyre, but it expires first at the start of the Grand Prix 1. Now let's see if Hamilton can go around. The outside would be a great move if he manages it. And he does so up to 11th place. Those soft tyres not working on the AlphaTauri. Max Verstappen is given the five second penalty for forcing another driver off the track. Historically, sometimes you get penalised, sometimes you get away with it. Today, Max Verstappen's penalised. But have Red Bull got it right by leaving him in the lead of the race? And can he now easily build the five second gap that he needs? He'll take that at the first stop. And he tried the inside before. Now he's tried the outside line, taking the position away. Esteban Ocon up to 7th. He was out in Q1 yesterday, but a melee at Turn 1 has changed his race around. And now you've got an Alpine in 7th and an Alpine in 4th. Sergio Perez, who loves a street circuit. Five of his six Grand Prix victories have come at temporary facilities. That is opportunistic. That is brilliant from Esteban Ocon, who hard charges his way by after the disappointment of qualifying. That was superb stuff. And we weren't expecting many overtakes there today. You know, it's interesting. There's a good mix of hards and mediums on right now as the racing continues down the strip into Turn 14. And it's getting very, very, very tight. No matter where you look on track. Oscar Piastri has gone up to 7th position. And then we go driver's eye view. Piastri trying to fight by. This is Lewis Hamilton trying to charge past Logan Sargent as well. And he does so further back. Sergio Perez is now up to 10th position. He has cleared the Haas as we see Magnussen now bolting to the pits. And this is how Sergio Perez was able to fight his way by. This is over 200 miles per hour. Got the speed. Does he go to the left? Does he go to the right? Is the track wide enough? He gets past the Alfa. And then when the Haas pitted in, he got past Magnussen as well. Charles Leclerc, fed up of the stat that he started from pole position 11 times in a row and hasn't been able to convert it. That's the worst run in Formula One since the 1980s, and he's desperate to end that stat. The tyres are going to get really f****** heavy. I understand, Max. Giampiero Lambiezzi on the radio. A picture of calm. Max Verstappen with his mirrors full. 1.2 miles flat to the floor in the wheel tracks. He's being called to the pits. Charles Leclerc doesn't know that. He's going to try and pull the move now. The Scala Ferrari to the inside. Charles Leclerc takes the lead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It's game on at the front of the field, like we haven't seen for so long in Formula One. And the crowd adoring that moment. Ferrari seemingly able to take their tyres further as Max Verstappen comes into the pits. Yeah, and he's going to find himself coming out behind Logan Sargent. This is a normal stop. And, well, no. There's the wait. There's the wait for the five second penalty. Good point. There's a few cars, I know, making their way to the pits. OK, Albon's in the pits as well. So is Piastri. It's a melee at Turn 1 that started this race. It's action everywhere you look at the moment. McLaren looking all right with Oscar Piastri, who goes on to the hard tyres. But it's a slow stop. Yeah, the front right wasn't there. Let's check in with our race leader. And the moment he was able to reclaim the place that he lost in the first 175 metres of the Grand Prix. Hamilton's radioed in saying he's got a puncture. Diving down the inside of the Australian driver. Piastri trying to hang on to it. That enough to puncture the tyre and sparks out the back of Piastri's car. That does sound like Hamilton. Yeah, he's lifting. He is really in a bad way here with this puncture. That sign's going through. That's Joe going through as well. And Hamilton gets rid of the bollard. Back to trackside pictures. Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, second and third at the moment. Perez on that hard tyre, attacking now with DRS. And Perez taking the position away then. Found himself behind Ocon after that scrappy opening lap to the Grand Prix. Drivers taking avoiding action. But Perez, in a sharp contrast to what we've seen for the rest of the year, able to get a tune out of those hard tyres. And it's going nicely for the Mexican driver who changed those tyres at the start of the Grand Prix because he changed the nose, got rid of the mediums, went on to the hard. And that man's career is built on coaxing a performance from a tyre longer than others are able to do so. The body language of Max Verstappen's car does not say to me, I'm taking these tyres to the end of the Grand Prix. You think he's just absolutely gone for broke here. Oh, is he going to try it on the inside here into Turn 12? Oh, it's going to be contact and it is contact. Max Verstappen into the side of George Russell. He was committed and in Turn 12, the two of them come together. Right. Is that damage only from George's car or is some of that from the Red Bull? It's tough to tell if there's wing damage to the Red Bull, definitely floor damage to the Mercedes. Safety car out. So who takes it? And so that is a massive benefit for the man who's put one of his best stints together of the entire season and Sergio Perez gets a 2.4 second stop and he's suddenly a contender. Absolutely. He almost took his front jack band with him. He was so electric away from that pit stop. And that has actually played to his benefit very well. Max Verstappen has pitted. Did he do front wing as well? I don't think it looked like it was a long enough stop. OK, it's a 3.3 second stop for Stroll. Verstappen had a 2.7 stop, Russell 2.9. Russell lost the wheel cover. Now that safety car line is vitally important. And I think Max Verstappen got out ahead there of Esteban Ocon. And that's where they measure it when you rejoin after pitting under the safety car. Max, just a stewards update again. Turn 12 incident with Russell is under investigation. OK, it just looked like he just didn't see me at all. He just turned in onto my wheel because he didn't expect me to pass him there. And fair enough, because I don't think anyone's done that so far. Yeah, we're going back green. There's a penalty for Russell for causing a collision is the verdict of the stewards. So Max Verstappen penalized earlier in the Grand Prix. It's George Russell who's got the five second penalty for causing the collision at the incident turn 12. There's confirmation of the penalty at the top of your page. Meanwhile, the safety car has disappeared. They're trying to generate tyre temperature. And we're back to racing speeds around Formula One's newest venue that is providing so much by way of entertainment. And Pierre Gasly worried Sergio Perez into a defensive shape. That's Fernando Alonso to the inside of Logan Sargent. And he's making 11th place with that move. But the rear of the car very nearly getting away from him when he applied the power. Another move around the outside. We've got the Haas trying to go past Daniel Ricciardo. And that is a sweet pass once again for Nico Hülkenberg. Late, late, late on the brakes and later still for Oskar Piastri, who makes the corner, who makes the place and takes third. That was brilliant. That was absolutely brilliant. He's taken advantage of this very difficult restart to see cars weaving under race conditions, desperately trying to get temperature in their tyres. It's just so unusual. Oh, my word, they're getting close to the exit of turn 12 there. But of course, they're pushing on. And if these two fight each other too hard, Oskar Piastri, a race winner in the sprint format earlier this year, could join the party. You know Verstappen's going to be in the mix as well. But Gasly, half defence into turn number five, can't afford too many of those as he tries to cling on. That is close under braking. This is a resurgent Sergio Pérez, but he's right on the edge. Yeah, a little bit of oversteer as he rolled the car into the corner. Where the Red Bull looks so strong and we saw it from Max's on board, those combined entries into turn seven, into turn 12, where you're braking and turning at the same time, the confidence that both Checo and Max have, they're really closing up on the car in front in both scenarios there. Massive amount of lap time. And both of those lead on to important parts of the racetrack as DRS is open again. This is the best run so far for Sergio Pérez. Sergio Pérez to the apex first, Sergio Pérez to the lead of the Grand Prix. Having started in 11th, he had the run, he had the DRS and the fans in the grandstand love another pass because we've got a third race leader tonight and his name is Checo. Wow, what a turnaround. We are seeing some show under the lights in Las Vegas. It's been such an ebb and flow. The race started, advantage Red Bull. Then Charles was able to reel Max in, advantage Ferrari. Now it's gone back the other way, advantage back to Red Bull. Incredible move from Pérez here. The pendulum swings back to Red Bull. Charles Leclerc doing everything in his power to stay within the DRS. That is his only hope of getting back against Sergio Pérez. Max Verstappen getting past, or at least trying to, under braking. Oscar Piastri not fighting that one too hard. And Verstappen on the charge up to third. Oscar did a good job on the initial brake hit. He outbroke Verstappen initially, but then Max is rolling off that brake pedal as the Alpines now nose to tail. Ocon trying to get around Gasly. Is he going to take a stab into Turn 1? These two are side by side, but not for much longer. The two teammates battling it out. And Esteban Ocon deep into Turn 1. Gasly sweeps on by. Great racing between these two. Nervy moments on the pit wall for Alpine. These two have history. This season, back in Australia, where they collided after a great run. OK, Esteban, we want to hold position for the moment, please. Hold position for the moment. Get me a replay of that move around the outside. Esteban Ocon going all in in Vegas and taking fifth place. Gasly played the team game there. If that had been a different liveried car, I think that would have been a different braking zone entirely. Perez looking to change the narrative, having had such a tough campaign after those brilliant two wins at the very start of the season. But since then, the championship has belonged to Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc wanting to win his first Grand Prix since July 2022. And Max Verstappen looking to demoralize those ahead even further. Yeah, you just saw the car stepping out of Max Verstappen as he entered onto the strip. So he is pushing hard on those tyres. And Charles Leclerc going to the inside. I was going to say, if he's going to take a risk, there's a chance. I think Perez might have been caught by surprise. Another change of lead in Las Vegas. And it's Charles Leclerc back again. But he seemed to come from miles back. Did Perez miss a gear or something? You know, where did that come from? And Perez getting wide of the apex. It'll give Verstappen a chance to get a run on him. I think the run is going to turn into a slam dunk pass. We haven't had many of them so far today. Are we about to resume the battle between Leclerc and Verstappen? The three race leaders in your picture at the moment. But is it a change of position between the two Red Bulls as we go over the bumps? And it's Max Verstappen who takes second place in the race and will try and reclaim the lead. Pass, repass and pass again. Delirious stuff out front. It's Charles Leclerc going right. Who is it in the mirrors? It's the world champion. Game on at the front. Charles really seems to have found form, but he's got a wounded Verstappen behind him, missing his front wing end plate. Doesn't seem to be affecting him too, too much. Fastest lap of the race last time around. And he does have a tire advantage. His tires are about five laps newer than Leclerc's. But man, that Ferrari does not seem to have the advantage on the hards. Stay with it. Double timeout. We work together. That's Hugh Bird trying to keep Sergio Perez's head up. But there's a real opportunity now for Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc knows it. Driving on the mirrors now, checking the left one, checking the right one, trying to keep the world champion behind. We go down the strip. We're going to get another change of lead. Max Verstappen takes the place back. But look at how brave on the brakes Charles was, but he couldn't close the door. Verstappen takes the lead back once again. And this has turned out to be some spectacle under the lights. But it's the dominant man in 2023 who gets past his teammate. Gets past the man who beat him in qualifying yesterday. And the three car battle now led by Max Verstappen. Well, what a race. Just great, great stuff from both drivers. So much commitment. We have seen Grand Prix earlier in the year where the straight line performance of the Williams was mighty. You think back to Spa, it just didn't work for them. Although they've got that aerodynamic efficiency, they still have to get the setup right. And it's hard to gauge at a new circuit. They've given Alex Albon a chance. This race completely changed by the full safety car. There's a big opportunity now for George Russell, who appears in your picture ahead of the Williams. Nothing Alex Albon could do. And that is a good pass as we move our way through. There was very nearly another one further back. Max Verstappen has set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix. But Charles Leclerc is not letting him off. He's just on a personal best. Leclerc would desperately love to make that pass. Can he sit there for the remaining laps? And that's a wide moment for the Williams driver. And disappointment for Alex Albon, who sees first Russell, then Sainz, then Alonso overtake him and he drops out of the points. Lewis Hamilton trying to get by as well and diving to the inside. I got a yellow flag in sector two. We were hearing momentarily that Pierre Gasly is reporting a issue with the battery to his team. And that's also a clean pass from Lance Stroll. Gasly not able to do anything against the offset in speed. We're understandably focusing on the battle for second place at the moment, but Gasly has George Russell right behind him off the road. Go Charles Leclerc at Turn 12. And having led this Grand Prix for so long and having had his best chance to win so far this season, one Red Bull got by, then the other Red Bull got by. And there'll be no chance after that moment at Turn 12 to retake the place this time. Oh, just not enough front axle grip there. And he's been brave on the brakes. But on this occasion, just a bit wide on turn in. Here's the other Alpine, though, coming under pressure. Man, that is quick down the straight as they build up to 200 miles an hour plus under braking and Fernando Alonso moves up to eighth position, gets past Pierre Gasly, but he went deep DC. Yeah, he did. And luckily in that particular sequence of corners, there's enough racetrack for him to get away with it. And wheel-to-wheel action here. This is so quick through 17. That is unbelievably brave. We've been waiting to see two drivers go wheel-to-wheel through there. It was around the outside early on for Lewis Hamilton. Down the inside this time. Huge speed, huge commitment and ninth place. Piastri on the medium tyre, unable to put the pressure on Pierre Gasly for the final point at the moment. Further up, though, this is the battle for eighth place. And this is Lewis Hamilton up against his old sparring partner, Fernando Alonso. And that move is made early on. No contest into Turn 14. Hamilton up to eighth place. The chequered flag is illuminated around the last lap. It is waiting on the main straight. And there you go. He has dropped back. He has dropped back to play the team game there. Max Verstappen, 2.1 seconds. Asked by the team to do that. He plays the game and he tries to give him a slipstream. And you would get an effect from two seconds of the slipstream. Leclerc, does he risk it all in the final metres of the Grand Prix? This is where it matters. Such an important exit out of Turn 12 for Checo. He seems to have gotten the power down nicely. Get a little bit of draft from his teammate. Is Leclerc going to be close enough? DRS open. Here we go. This is the last real corner on the racetrack. It's flat to the floor by the time that you get out of 14, 15 and 16. Charles Leclerc is going for it to the inside. Has he got the car slowed down? What a move, Charles Leclerc. Absolutely brilliant at the last real chance that he had to make the pass. Checo tries to fight back. What a performance from the top three. Max Verstappen puts his name up in light once again. And it's very close to the line. But it's Charles Leclerc who takes second place with a bold and brilliant move at the last real opportunity on the last lap. It's 18 Grand Prix victories for the season for Max Verstappen, who wins the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Then it's Charles Leclerc, then it's Sergio Perez. And on the last lap as well, George Russell gets fourth place. He got by Esteban Ocon. That's entertainment on the streets of Las Vegas. But Russell, having made the pass, has the five second penalty applied and it was for pride rather than position. Ocon in fourth, Stroll in fifth, Sainz sixth, then Hamilton, Russell, Alonso and Piastri. Your order after a breathless, delirious, thoroughly entertaining Las Vegas Grand Prix. Three out of three here at the stage, Max. Should we call it a royal? Well done, Max. As the GP said, three out of three. Well done. First ever Vegas race. Yes, let's go, guys. That was quite fun out there. It was a bit more difficult for us, but it was good. I think we expected it to be a really interesting street circuit, but not on that level. In the end, the top three separated by 2.2 seconds. They all led the Grand Prix at some point. They all put it together and looked at one stage, it looked for all the world like it was going to be Leclerc's day by quite a margin. Then it looked like the timing of the safety car had swung it towards Perez and we got suckered in. Hinch, of course, Max was going to win. Of course.