F1 Driver Form: Las Vegas Grand Prix

Verstappen took victory in the first race at Las Vegas Strip Circuit, polesitter Leclerc was voted Driver Of The Day and Piastri set the fastest lap. Here’s everything you need to know about each driver’s history at the Las Vegas Grand Prix!

🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN

Max Verstappen may have been far from complimentary about the Las Vegas Grand Prix during its first appearance on the calendar in 2023 – but that didn’t stop him from taking the victory. Nor did it prevent him from celebrating with a rendition of Elvis’ Viva Las Vegas on the team radio after the race.

Verstappen extended the record for most wins in a year at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he secured his 18^th victory of the season. He won from second on the grid, having set the third fastest qualifying time. He overtook Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 in a move that later saw him handed a five-second time penalty, meaning he had to re-pass both his team-mate and Leclerc on track to secure victory.

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇲🇽 Sergio PEREZ

Sergio Perez was out in Q2 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, setting the 12^th fastest time in the session and ultimately lining up 11^th on the grid. Perez was caught up in the first corner chaos in Saturday night’s race, making contact with Valtteri Bottas which necessitated a pit stop.

The setback actually helped Perez strategy-wise and he was able to lead the race ahead of making his second pit stop. Perez ran second in the closing stages but was overtaken by Charles Leclerc on the last lap and finished third.

SERGIO PEREZ’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton was out in Q2 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, qualifying in 11^th position. He moved up to tenth place on the final grid and made progress to sixth at the start before contact with Carlos Sainz dropped him to 15^th. Despite further dramas with Oscar Piastri, which resulted in the Mercedes driver completing a full lap with a puncture, Hamilton eventually finished the race in seventh place.

LEWIS HAMILTON’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 George RUSSELL

After qualifying fourth, George Russell started third for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. He came close to taking the lead as both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen ahead ran wide at Turn 1 but was unable to capitalise on the opportunity.

Later in the race, Russell made contact with Verstappen which saw him handed a five-second time penalty. Russell finished fourth on the road but dropped to eighth, behind his team-mate, in the final order as a result of the penalty.

GEORGE RUSSELL’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC

Charles Leclerc showed impressive speed throughout practice and qualifying at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix and secured pole position for the race. He was overtaken at Turn 1 after being forced off track by Max Verstappen but was later able to re-pass the Red Bull to reclaim the lead.

Leclerc would later be passed by Verstappen once more and was then passed by Sergio Perez after making a mistake in braking and locking up. Nevertheless, Leclerc stayed within DRS range of the Red Bull and made an overtake in the final sector of the final lap to secure a second place finish.

CHARLES LECLERC’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ

Carlos Sainz hit a water valve cover eight minutes into Free Practice 1 for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix which derailed Thursday’s action at the inaugural event. Sainz was handed a 10-place grid penalty for the resulting damage to his Ferrari; a penalty which, given the circumstances, many felt was unfair.

Sainz qualified strongly, setting a Q3 lap time which was just 0.044 seconds slower than his team-mate’s pole time. His 10-place penalty saw him drop to 12^th on the grid.

From there, Sainz was caught up in the first corner chaos and dropped to 18^th. Over the course of the race, he recovered to sixth place.

CARLOS SAINZ’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS

Lando Norris endured a weekend to forget at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. A Q1 exit on Friday night was followed by a heavy crash after hitting a bump on the third lap of Saturday night’s race which resulted in a trip to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada for precautionary checks. He was discharged later in the evening. It was his first DNF of the 2023 season.

LANDO NORRIS’ LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI

Despite setting the second fastest lap time in Free Practice 3 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri qualified on the back row of the grid as both McLarens exited in Q1.

Starting 18^th, Piastri pitted early following contact with Lewis Hamilton. Switching to another set of hard tyres, Piastri ran as high as fourth but was committed to making another pit stop. He ultimately finished tenth after his second stop, but his fresh tyres enabled him to secure an extra point with the fastest lap of the race.

OSCAR PIASTRI’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO

Fernando Alonso reached Q3 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix and set the slowest lap time in the final part of qualifying. He moved up to ninth on the grid thanks to Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty.

Alonso spun at the first turn, dropping him to 19^th in the order. The Spaniard was able to recover to where he started over the course of the race. Team-mate Lance Stroll showed what could have been possible without Alonso’s first corner misdemeanour.

FERNANDO ALONSO’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇦 Lance STROLL

Lance Stroll was eliminated in Q2 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. After setting the 14^th fastest lap time, the Canadian was demoted five positions on the grid to 19^th after being found guilty of ignoring yellow flags in Free Practice 3.

Stroll made up for his Friday night antics by gaining 14 positions during the race and finishing fifth. Having also finished fifth at the previous race, the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Stroll recorded consecutive top five results for the first time in his career.

LANCE STROLL’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Esteban OCON

It was a rollercoaster weekend for Esteban Ocon at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, whose Alpine car was damaged in Free Practice 1 by the circuit’s loose drain covers. After running into traffic in Q1, Ocon exited early in qualifying and started the race only 16^th on the grid.

Impressively, Ocon avoided the first lap carnage and ran in eighth place by the end of Lap 1. Ocon gained 12 positions over the course of the race and managed his tyres well to finish fourth.

ESTEBAN OCON’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY

Pierre Gasly had the opposite weekend to his Alpine team-mate. Gasly’s strength at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix was in qualifying, where he set the fifth fastest time and started fourth on the grid. The Frenchman struggled with graining in the race and finished in 11^th place, five seconds away from the top ten.

PIERRE GASLY’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇹🇭 Alex ALBON

Alex Albon brought about an early end to Free Practice 3 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix after losing a wheel following contact with the wall. Despite that, Albon was able to qualify in an impressive sixth place for the race, moving up to fifth on the final grid.

Albon ran inside the top ten in the race but a poorly timed pit stop, just before a Safety Car deployment, hurt his chances of scoring points. He finished 12^th.

ALEX ALBON’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇺🇸 Logan SARGEANT

Logan Sargeant recorded his best qualifying result of the 2023 season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a Q3 appearance and the seventh fastest time. That became sixth on the final grid as a result of Carlos Sainz’s penalty. Alex Albon qualified ahead of Sargeant, but only by two tenths. Sargeant could not maintain the pace in the Grand Prix and dropped back to 16^th by the time of the chequered flag.

LOGAN SARGEANT’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA

Yuki Tsunoda set the slowest lap time of the 20 drivers in qualifying. Although he advanced to 12^th after safely making his way through the first corner incidents, Tsunoda soon fell back through the order and ran near the back until he retired three laps from the end with gearbox troubles.

YUKI TSUNODA’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Daniel RICCIARDO

Daniel Ricciardo reached Q2 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix and finished where he started – in 14^th place – on a weekend where AlphaTauri showed little in the way of pace.

DANIEL RICCIARDO’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇮 Valtteri BOTTAS

Valtteri Bottas reached Q3 for the fifth time in 2023 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, qualifying eighth. He started seventh but Fernando Alonso spun into his path at Turn 1 and he subsequently picked up floor damage. The damage prevented Bottas from finishing any higher than 17^th.

VALTTERI BOTTAS’ LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇳 ZHOU Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu set the third slowest lap time in qualifying for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix and started the race from 17^th on the grid. The timing of the Safety Car harmed any chance the Alfa Romeo driver had of scoring points and he finished only 15^th.

ZHOU GUANYU’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇰 Kevin MAGNUSSEN

Kevin Magnussen started eighth at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix but an early pit stop and a subsequent two-stop strategy prevented him from scoring. He finished 13^th.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG

Nico Hulkenberg felt he had the pace to make Q3 at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix but a mistake in Q2 saw him qualify only 13^th. Hulkenberg retired from the race with five laps remaining as a result of engine issues.

NICO HULKENBERG’S LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX HISTORY