The 2023 Las Vegas GP was nail-biting from start to finish. However, the highlight of the entire GP was Charles Leclerc’s daring last lap lunge on Sergio Perez to seal P2. Following the conclusion of the race, the Monegasque revealed the exact moment when he knew he was going to nail the overtake, per GPBlog.com.
Leclerc explained, “I also had in mind that Checo had done a small mistake four or five laps before, so I knew he was being cautious a little bit on braking. In the second to last lap, I started to recharge the batteries in order to get ready for that last lap and it worked out. So it was obviously very, very tight but I was really happy, and I really enjoyed the fight.”
Charles Leclerc just fully sent it for his last-lap overtake on Sergio Perez at the Las Vegas GP 🔥
He carried so much speed into the braking zone. Really hope we get Charles battling at the front more often in 2024. pic.twitter.com/ZmKs8M6BOS
— Dan’s DRS Zone (@F1GuyDan) November 19, 2023
On the very last lap of the race, Leclerc pulled out of the slipstream of the Red Bull driver to make an audacious move. Late onto the brakes, Leclerc dived down the inside and steered clear of Perez as they made their way out of the chicane. Thereafter, the Monegasque placed his SF-23 perfectly and stormed to the chequered flag.
Even though Leclerc finished second, he was slightly disappointed to miss out on the win. By his own admission, one race-changing event robbed him of it.
Charles Leclerc blames Safety Car for missing out on the win
Despite showing some promising pace throughout the weekend, Charles Leclerc had to settle for second. But he believes it was the late Safety Car that ruined his chances of a win. He told Sky Sports, “I really believe that without the Safety Car, the win was ours. We had a really good first stint on the medium and we had five laps newer hards than Max.”
The 2nd Safety Car was brought out in the aftermath of a collision between Verstappen and George Russell. The safety car produced costly for Leclerc as it eliminated all his advantage over Verstappen and also gave the Dutchman fresher tires.
Max Verstappen 💥 George Russell 😳
The two drivers making contact in Vegas 🫣#LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/SJNsinjxfJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2023
Leclerc has endured a winless season this year. On the other hand, Verstappen clinched his 18th win of the season in Las Vegas. Although Ferrari were the stronger of the two teams in Las Vegas, Leclerc could not capitalize because of an element of misfortune.
Ferrari will now just wait for this season to end. With 2024 just on the horizon, the Maranello-based team will be hoping to mount a stronger charge for the title next year.
