World champion Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 showdown in Las Vegas and celebrated his 18th victory of the season. The Red Bull driver from the Netherlands won the entertaining grand prix ahead of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull under the floodlights of the American gambling metropolis on Saturday evening (local time).
Verstappen, who received a five-second penalty for maneuvering shortly after the start and later collided with Mercedes driver George Russell, celebrated his 53rd Grand Prix success. In the 21st and final race of the season, he tied with Sebastian Vettel on the leaderboard and finished third.
In the premier motorsport class only Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91) were on the top podium more times. Pérez, who gave up Red Bull’s double victory on the last lap, finished runner-up in the first race in Las Vegas in 41 years, thus fulfilling the Austrian-British racing team’s big goal. At next weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, the Mexican can no longer be displaced by Hamilton.
