Nov 18, 2023 at 10:02 AM Update: 3 minutes ago
Max Verstappen starts second at the Grand Prix of Las Vegas on Sunday. The Dutchman finished third during qualifying on Saturday, but moved up one spot due to a grid penalty from Carlos Sainz (second). Charles Leclerc took pole position.
For the 26-year-old Verstappen, pole position seemed out of reach throughout qualifying. The three-time world champion was not the fastest in any session. Leclerc clocked 1.32.726, making him 44 thousandths faster than Ferrari teammate Sainz. Verstappen conceded almost four tenths on the time of the pole sitter from Monaco.
Verstappen was somewhat fortunate that he finished third. While the Red Bull driver no longer improved, George Russell approached Verstappen to within eight thousandths. Russell also benefits from Sainz’s grid penalty and starts the race in third.
Sainz received a grid penalty of ten places because he had to change his battery after the much-discussed incident with the manhole cover. The Spaniard therefore does not start second, but twelfth.
For Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez, qualifying ended in a major disappointment. The Mexican did not get through Q2 and starts the race one place ahead of Sainz in eleventh. Both McLaren drivers will also want to quickly forget qualifying in Las Vegas. Both Lando Norris (sixteenth) and Oscar Piastri (nineteenth) already stranded in Q1.
Formula 1 returns to Las Vegas this weekend after 41 years. The organization has allocated half a billion dollars to make the race weekend a success. The first training session was canceled due to a loose manhole cover, but since then there have been no major incidents on the asphalt.
Beeld: Getty Images
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Formula 1 Max Verstappen
2023-11-18 09:02:36
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