Verstappen wins in Las Vegas; “Cheko” takes third place and secures second place at the World Championship

Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) He signed his eighteenth victory of the season in Las Vegas, beating the Monaco team. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Mexican Sergio “Checo” Perez (Red Bull) in a race in which he had to fight until the final laps to extend his dominance.

At the moment, the pilot from Guadalajara managed to gain a foothold as a Second place in the world of Formula 1, although he started eleventh in the race.

The city of Las Vegas, which is characterized by nightly casino activity, also “built” a track on the streets and 41 years later he returned to Formula 1 territory. with a race full of overtakes, which compensated for the drainage problems that began on Friday.

In a start in which Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took a long first turn and forced Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) to go wide of the gate, which, according to the stewards’ criteria, deserved only a 5-second penalty, It was that first turn in which the first two Spaniards complicated their options.

And Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) They turned around at the first turn start due to poor grip due to the low temperature of Las Vegas asphalt -20 degrees Celsius.

Alonso had good reaction in the first meters, But when braking on the inside, the tires did not react as expected, he went past, lost the rear of the car and spun. Crossing the track, Finnish Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) collided with the front wing, and Mexican Sergio Perez (Red Bull) was unable to avoid both cars.

The incident that caused All three had to stop in the pits after the first lap. So did Carlos Sainz, who also took a long time into the first turn and touched the Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

The three drivers, Alonso, Sainz and “Checo” Perez, who were left out of position, were at the back of the grid for the first few laps, during which They put on a show, passing each other several times. and in which they grouped after the safety car came out due to the accident of Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) on the 3rd lap.

The race delivered what it promised. Ease of overtaking on a straight line 1.9 kilometers long, also caused by several pilots being out of place. Moreover, in this case the fight came out on top.

Verstappen, accustomed, with the exception of the Singapore Grand Prix, to dominate with ease, He was stranded due to a five-second penalty and, above all, tire wear.

On the 16th lap Leclerc overtook him and The Dutchman had to stop in the pits due to high degradation. He carried out the time penalty that saw him start eleventh, in traffic and behind Briton George Russell, who, as he tried to defend his place on lap 25, clipped Max and forced the second safety car of the night into Las City. Vegas.

For the eighteenth time out of 21 Max Verstappen won on Sunday. The checkered flag and the usual headline, but different in its execution.

Five-second penalty and traffic jams made him sweat to winwith the aforementioned safety car regrouping on the grid, helping him in the hunt for Leclerc, whom he overtook on lap 37 of 50, at turn 14, where most of the overtaking was seen.