By Nathan Salt
Published: 05:04, November 19, 2023 | Updated: 07:26, November 19, 2023
Follow Mail Sport’s live blog for the latest news and lap-by-lap updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix race.
Everything is going wrong for Gasly now
Round 45/50: Pierre Gasly’s promising race has long since been ruined. He’s now quickly crashing the order. He is in 10th place, having just been overtaken by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Perez punishes Leclerc!
Round 43/50: Uh! Charles Leclerc brakes incorrectly and Sergio Perez doesn’t waste the gift.
Leclerc locked his rear tires and the door was wide open.
For Red Bull, Verstappen is now in first place and Perez is in second place.
Another Lando Norris update
Leclerc had to keep his wits about him
ROUND 41/50: Charles Leclerc is currently holding out in the fight for first place.
This was a very entertaining race and it’s not a formality how this race ends.
Sergio Perez has DRS on Leclerc, but Leclerc doesn’t have it on Verstappen, who is 1.5 seconds ahead of him.
If the Ferrari man is overtaken, he will be exposed by those behind.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE LEAD!
Round 38/50: Well, from Ferrari’s perspective, that didn’t last long.
Verstappen is deadly when chasing from second place and he just showed his class with this overtaking maneuver.
Red Bull wants a one-two. Perez is now ready to take over from Leclerc.
CHARLES LECLERC TAKES BACK THE LEAD
Round 36/50: Wait a moment.
Leclerc came back from far at Turn 14 and got ahead of Sergio Perez to take the lead again.
Now there is a risk that Perez will be overtaken by Verstappen… who can do that with some ease. Perez is an outsider and is now in third place.
Hamilton has a lot to do
Round 35/50: Lewis Hamilton watch out, he’s now in 13th place.
Remarkably, Sergio Perez will secure second place in the world championship today if he finishes six points clear of the Mercedes man.
At the moment he gets that and so much more.
Leclerc’s Red Bull sandwich
Round 33/50: Charles Leclerc now finds himself in a Red Bull sandwich, while Verstappen now overtakes Piastri for third place.
Further down the order this Alpine battle is brilliant as Ocon and Gasly fight hard for leather in the battle for 5th.
Alpine jumps on the radio to calm the dueling drivers, but good luck with that!
Piastri aims for a podium… Perez aims for victory
Round 32/50: Oscar Piastri, currently third ahead of Max Verstappen, is currently the fastest man on the track.
Note: The McLaren must stop again after using two sets of hard compound tires. During a race you have to drive two different types of tires.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez has finally taken the lead and is ahead of Charles Leclerc.
There is a lot of cheering in the Red Bull box for this.
All eyes are on Sergio Perez…
Round 31/50: Sergio Perez looks really good here. He is currently second but behind Charles Leclerc and he loves these street circuits.
A night to forget for Hamilton
Round 30/50: What a miserable race this is for Lewis Hamilton.
He was a big proponent of the glitz and glamor of this Vegas race, but he’s in 17th place and he’s not enjoying it at all.
GEORGE RUSSELL GETS A FIVE SECOND PENALTY
The stewards wasted no time and handed the Mercedes youngster a five-second time penalty for his collision with Max Verstappen.
“I almost lost it. The tires are damn cold!’
Round 28/50: Charles Leclerc is not at all happy with the condition of his tires as now the safety car arrives and we are racing again!
How is it?
This is what the top 7 look like now that they are behind the safety car…
The safety car is out
A second convenient pit stop is now available.
This is where your strategists earn their money…
VERSTAPPEN AND RUSSELL collide!
Round 26/50: WOW! Contact between Red Bull and Mercedes.
Verstappen is told his tire and front wing are fine, but how is the Mercedes? It felt like it came out of nowhere.
Verstappen tried to fall inside and as he stood next to Russell he appeared to turn inwards.
Did he know Verstappen was there? There is now a lot of rubble on the track.
Sainz loses TWO places in a row
Round 25/50: That’s brutal towards Carlos Sainz.
On a straight he was narrowly overtaken by George Russell and then by Max Verstappen, who enjoyed the double slipstream he picked up.
Ferrari’s pit wall is looking pretty bleak at the moment.
Lando Norris update
We’ve already talked about Lando Norris’ serious crash that ended his Grand Prix in Las Vegas.
Well, here’s an update on how he’s doing…
Verstappen in hunting mode
Round 23/50: This race is approaching the halfway point and everyone can catch their breath after a series of early pit stops.
Verstappen is currently fighting his way through the field on his fresher tires, with Fernando Alonso his latest victim.
SERGIO PEREZ LEADS THE VEGAS GP
The Mexican has plenty of support in the stands and his early pit stop has put him in a very good position to win this race as he now takes control of the race.
The last time Leclerc started a race from pole, Perez won.
Leclerc has to go to the pits as quickly as possible
Round 21/50: Charles Leclerc is the only driver in the top 15 who is not on hard tires.
Expect him to pit this lap.
Red Bull is well positioned
Round 20/50: Verstappen is back in ninth place and is now ahead.
However, his teammate Sergio Perez is ready to take the lead when Charles Leclerc comes into the pits soon.
Things are finely tuned – I love it.
A pit stop to forget for Hamilton
Round 18/50: A miserable pit stop drops Hamilton to 19th place overall.
Not much looked good in his clip with Piastri, but both cars suffered.
LEWIS HAMILTON has a puncture!
Dramatic drama at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton complains of a punctured tire after contact with Oscar Piastri.
The Brit is overtaken with some ease.
CHARLES LECLERC TAKES BACK THE LEAD!
Round 16/50: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen play a classic Tom and Jerry game here.
The Red Bull man has problems with his tires and his lead is gone.
And so Charles Leclerc shows his confidence as he takes the lead again. Remember that Verstappen also has to serve this five-second penalty in the pit lane.
The tires are starting to cause problems
Round 15/50: The tires are starting to grain pretty badly now, so expect a flurry of pit stops.
Haas and Williams are having problems and are now slowly but surely bringing in drivers.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is losing time to Charles Leclerc.
This Ferrari is absolutely RAPID.
Perez has a lot of work ahead of him
Round 14/50: So Sergio Perez is currently the fastest man on the track after a pit stop… but he’s twelfth.
Positive signs for Red Bull, but he still has a lot of work to do to establish himself in this field.
Cool the car down or we’ll have to stop!
Round 13/50: It’s a tightly packed field, but Lewis Hamilton doesn’t have much to offer in the overtaking maneuvers as he remains in ninth place.
Meanwhile, drama ensues at Ferrari when Carlos Sainz is told they need to cool the car or stop it.
Leclerc stays in touch…
Round 12/50: Max Verstappen has just set a new fastest lap, but Charles Leclerc has reduced the Dutchman’s lead to under 2 seconds.
There’s still a long way to go to see whether his five-second penalty hurts or not.
There are still grip issues, but the speed is absolutely remarkable on a street circuit.
High risk and high reward.
Gasly is having fun here
Round 10/50: Pierre Gasly and Alpine put on a show here as the Frenchman catches up with George Russell in third place.
Gasly is having a LOT of fun here. A decent fight for the podium at the moment.
“It’s okay, give her my regards”
Round 9/50: It’s safe to say Verstappen isn’t worried about this penalty as he starts to increase his lead at the front.
Fair play to Williams here, contrary to expectations they are still in fifth and sixth place.
Carlos Sainz, who qualified second but suffered a 10-place grid penalty, slips to 18th after a disastrous start.
FIVE SECOND PENALTY AGAINST VERSTAPPEN
Round 8/50: Wow – so Max Verstappen does NOT have to hand the lead back to Charles Leclerc, but instead receives a five second time penalty the next time he pits.
This is no consolation for Ferrari, considering that Verstappen could have crossed the finish line by more than five seconds at the end of the race anyway.
No problem for Max Verstappen at the top
Round 7/50: Bold restart from Oscar Piastri and McLaren, fighting their way to 10th place.
This safety car has tightened the field again, but it’s still Verstappen, followed by Leclerc, Russell and Gasly.
The clean-up work continues…
Round 5/50: Stay behind the safety car here while the debris from the Lando Norris accident at Turn 11/Turn 12 is cleared.
Lewis Hamilton’s front wing was damaged by the debris, he revealed over the radio.
CHAOS! LANDO NORRIS IS OUT OF THE RACE
Turn 12 caused chaos all weekend and Lando Norris locked the rear axle while braking before crashing into the tire wall.
McLaren’s disastrous weekend continues with a safety car.
He’s out of the car and okay, and that’s the main thing.
“It’s a JOKE if he keeps the position!”
Round 3/50: Charles Leclerc, the pole sitter for this race, demands that Max Verstappen give him the lead back after pushing him off at Turn 1.
Leclerc described the world champion’s move as a “joke”.
Now it’s up to the stewards.
The virtual safety car is out…
Round 2/50: Lewis Hamilton crashed to 14th in the chaotic start and Fernando Alonso has already complained about damage.
The Virtual Safety Car is canceled due to the debris in Turn 1.
Sergio Perez comes into the pits – compared to normal, a VSC saves you nine seconds in the pits – but what a hectic start.
Red Bull happy and Ferrari angry.
Verstappen takes the lead!
ROUND 1/50: Max Verstappen pushes Charles Leclerc far apart and takes the lead! After a spin between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso there is a yellow flag in the first sector.
Charles Leclerc is annoyed at being forced off the road but what a start from the world champion.
The lights go out and off we go!
Starting grid and starting tires!
The top 9 all start with a new set of medium C4 tires…Lewis Hamilton starts with a used set of hard tires.
Time for the introductory round
That’s right, introductory lap time and then we’re ready for the lights to go out and the drama to begin.
Whether you like it or not, this looks like a great spectacle.
FIVE MINUTE WARNING
Last call to go to the bathroom or drink some caffeine before lights out… Terry Crews is excited and ready, isn’t he?
I’m excited… Lando Norris not so much
Lando Norris to Sky F1 when asked what it’s like to drive on this track:
“Pretty terrible because it’s the lowest tire temperature we’ve had all weekend.”
“It didn’t feel great, but it was just coming to us.” The track will improve a lot as the race progresses.
“It’s a lot windier and I’m at the back of the grid so it’s a bit against me, but it should be a good race.”
National anthem time
Donny Osmond is the man responsible for singing the Star Spangled Banner.
The riders all line up and the impressive LVegas Sphere flies the flag.
A word from Ferrari…
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sky Sports F1:
“I hope for [Charles Leclerc] that (he can win).
“From the start of the weekend we had a good pace, very consistent.
“It means we have to bring everything together.
“We know the race won’t be easy because of the grit and we have to be aware of that, but let’s take a look at the start and Turn 1 first, but we can be confident.”
Shaq’s three-word response is straight to the point
The LA Lakers and NBA legend was a man of few words at the moment when Martin Brundle spoke to him.
But his three words were exactly right for Mercedes…
20 minutes until the lights go out!
“The greatest sporting event in Las Vegas history”
Big praise from DJ Steve Aoki just now…
Martin Brundle’s Gridwalk is underway…
This will likely bring the necessary chaos that fans have come to expect…
Guest lists at an F1 weekend can often be 10 to 12 pages long… but this Las Vegas and everything is bigger and better and think 60+ pages of celebs in tow for the weekend.
The networks have been busy in the past, but this is off the charts.
A little less conversation, a little more action
That certainly applies to Max Verstappen.
He’s been a vocal critic of the glitz and glamor that comes with this race weekend, but today he’s really getting into the swing of things with his racing gear.
It was always expected that McLaren would find the new city circuit difficult, as their car’s performance is more suited to expansive, purpose-built circuits rather than road racing.
Alfa Romeo has a new member of the pit stop crew… so to speak
If Williams has Brady in its corner, count the fastest man in the world in his prime: Usain Bolt, driving for Alfa Romeo.
He’s gotten a feel for how fast the pit stops are right now… and he still has a ways to go!
Logan Sargent’s newest fan…Tom Brady!
Expect the unexpected in a race as glamorous as this one… and before this race there was a surprise FaceTime call for Logan Sargent in the Williams pits.
The young American driver got some quick advice from NFL legend Tom Brady.
A man who, above all, knows how to win.
As a result, many spectators missed most of the action on Friday and the images suggest that this trend will continue on the second day of racing in Nevada.
Cool, calm and collected
Annoy? Not for Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc.
What a spectacle this is.
How did qualifying go?
This is how it went in qualifying on Saturday…
1 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
2 Carlos Sainz – Ferrari *
3 – Max Verstappen – Red Bull
4 George Russell – Mercedes
7 Logan Sargeant-Williams
8 Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo
10 Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
11 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
12 Sergio Perez – Red Bull
13 Nico Hulkenberg – Haas
14 Lance Stroll – Aston Martin **
15 Daniel Ricciardo – AlphaTauri
16 Lando Norris – McLaren
18 Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo
19 Oscar Piastri – McLaren
20 Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri
* starts 12th after a penalty of 10 starting places
** starts 19th after a penalty of five starting places
From Thursday night to Friday morning we had a loose manhole cover which caused complete chaos.
Now an oil spill is causing a stir.
READ THE COMPLETE STORY BELOW.
The greatest show in the world…
Good morning, everyone.
It’s an early start for fans in the UK (and a late start for those of you in the US) as we prepare for live coverage of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It’s a star-studded event with celebrities fighting tooth and nail for invitations to Sin City, and we’ll be kicking off in just under an hour with the lights off.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts on pole, with world champion Max Verstappen in second.
Stay with me in the next few hours for all the updates…
Important updates
- MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE LEAD!
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- CHARLES LECLERC TAKES BACK THE LEAD
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- GEORGE RUSSELL GETS A FIVE SECOND PENALTY
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- SERGIO PEREZ LEADS THE VEGAS GP
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- CHARLES LECLERC TAKES BACK THE LEAD!
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- FIVE SECOND PENALTY AGAINST VERSTAPPEN
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- CHAOS! LANDO NORRIS IS OUT OF THE RACE
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- The MUST-SEE event of the year
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- Organizers vs. fans
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- Oil spill seen on the route!
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Formula 1 – Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Max Verstappen leads, Sergio Perez second and Charles Leclerc third despite starting from pole position
