F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Clinches Thrilling Victory Over Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the second-to-last race of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, in a thrilling finish. Despite facing a 5-second penalty, Verstappen successfully outpaced Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

For his part, Perez showed a remarkable comeback, charging through the field after making an early pit stop to address front-wing damage sustained in a first-corner collision. Leclerc managed to pass Verstappen just before the Dutchman's first pit stop. Several incidents marred the race, including Lando Norris of McLaren's devastating crash on lap 3 and Max Verstappen and George Russell of Mercedes's collision shortly after the halfway point.

As Perez and Leclerc traded places, Verstappen took advantage of the situation to move ahead and eventually win for the 18th time this season. In the final lap, Ferrari's Leclerc retook second place from Perez after the Red Bull driver made a mistake and went wide.

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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Race Result

Even though Russell crossed the finish line in fourth place, the penalty for his collision with Verstappen dropped him to eighth. This shuffle moved Esteban Ocon up to fourth, raising the stakes in a debate over the Alpine starting lineup. For the second straight weekend, Lance Stroll led the charge for Aston Martin, following in the footsteps of Carlos Sainz, who made an incredible comeback from 12th on the grid, and Lewis Hamilton, who recovered from a collision with Oscar Piastri.

After starting in eighth place but losing ground after a spin in Turn 1, Fernando Alonso recovered to finish ninth, and Piastri, who had made a late pit stop for medium tyres, finished tenth.

Pierre Gasly, who was in contention for a podium finish early on, lost speed and ended up in 11th place. Lando Norris faced adversity, suffering a significant impact with the wall and skidding down the Turn 12 escape road on the third lap. His exit from the competition caused the initial use of the safety car. Norris was initially checked out at the Circuit Medical Centre, but now he's being taken to the University Medical Centre just to be safe.

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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix hit with lawsuit

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is being sued in a class action lawsuit by a Nevada law firm representing fans who were kicked out of Thursday's disrupted practice sessions. There were major delays in the schedule for F1's newest race after the opening practice was abruptly cancelled after only eight minutes due to a loose drain cover struck by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

After nearly five hours of waiting for the second practice to begin, and with only ten minutes of actual racing action, spectators were asked to leave the grandstands for their own safety. Organisers have not issued refunds or apologised to the affected fans despite the inconvenience. Only single-day ticket holders will receive a $200 voucher good for merchandise at the venue locations as payment.

The Dimopoulos law firm has filed a lawsuit in response to this circumstance in conjunction with JK Legal & Consulting. The defendants named in this action include F1 owners and race promoters Liberty Media Corporation, DBA Formula One Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, and TAB Contractors Inc.

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