Las Vegas Grand Prix | Max Verstappen battles through to win a thriller
The HinduWorld champion Max Verstappen claimed the 18th win of his record-breaking season, overcoming a five-second penalty to power to victory in a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the last lap to grab second place ahead of the Mexican with French driver Esteban Ocon of Alpine finishing fourth at the end of a race which saw multiple lead changes and plenty of overtaking. I had to pass quite a few cars and there was the Safety Car, so at that point there was a lot going on,” added Verstappen, summing up the race as “a lot of fun.” The Dutchman, starting second on the grid, grabbed the lead in the first turn of the opening lap but was penalised five seconds for pushing Leclerc wide. Mercedes’ George Russell made contact with Verstappen, clipping his front wing, an incident which resulted in a five second penalty for the British driver who crossed the line fourth but ended in eighth place.