00:00It is showtime! Our Saturday night fight is five lights away and Formula 1 goes
00:07racing on the streets of Las Vegas with Charles Leclerc passing across Max Verstappen
00:12who is on the dirty side! The top two go off the road! Do they open the door for
00:16George Russell? Massive spin in the middle of the pack as well! Max Verstappen takes
00:20the lead in the opening 200 meters of the Grand Prix but he was deep into the
00:24first turn as he did so! Cars absolutely everywhere! Russell is in third, Gazi is
00:29in fourth, Kevin Magnussen has improved a couple of positions as we have the
00:33yellow flag out in sector one, Sainz is at the back, Bottas and Alonso were involved
00:37in that as well. Decent enough getaway initially from Charles Leclerc but he
00:41glances in the mirror, realizes he has to go defensive and he's at the mercy of the
00:45lane that Max takes. This needs to be addressed now, he wasn't in front at the apex
00:50and he pushed me wide so he needs to give that position back. He's just wrong place
00:56for on time, does get tagged in the back as well. So they're fighting for space but no idea of
01:02grip
01:02levels at this stage and that is why he needed the nose change. Let's see what happens to Carlos,
01:07you're going through all that oil dry. Oh he tags Lewis. Yeah he just went in too deep.
01:13The stewards are looking at lap one, turn one, it's under investigation as a result and you've...
01:19Whoa! Who's gone off the road in the background there? Lando Norris I think,
01:23it's the McLaren. And Lando Norris goes off the road at turn 12 and that is a strange one.
01:33Now let's see if Hamilton can go around the outside, it would be a great move if he manages it
01:37and he
01:38does so. Up to 11th place, those soft tyres not working on the Alfa Tauri. Max Verstappen is given
01:44the five second penalty for forcing another driver off the track. Sergio Perez who loves a street
01:51circuit. Five of his six Grand Prix victories have come at temporary facilities. That is opportunistic,
01:58that is brilliant from Esteban Ocon who hard charges his way by. As the racing continues down the strip
02:05into turn 14. And it's getting very, very, very tight no matter where you look on track. Oscar
02:11Piastri has got up to seventh position and then there we go driver's eye view. Piastri trying to
02:18fight by. This is Lewis Hamilton trying to charge past Logan Sargent as well and he does so. Max Verstappen
02:25with his mirrors full. 1.2 miles, flat to the floor, in the wheel tracks. He's being called to the
02:31pits.
02:31Charles Leclerc doesn't know that. He's going to try and pull the move now. The Scarlett Ferrari to
02:36the inside. Charles Leclerc takes the lead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It's game on at the front of
02:43the field like we haven't seen for so long in Formula One. And the crowd adoring that moment.
02:50Diving down the inside of the Australian driver. Piastri trying to hang on to it. That enough to
02:56punch at the tire. Sparks out the back of Piastri's car. That does sound like Hamilton. Yeah, he's
03:03lifting. He is really in a bad way here with this puncture. Perez on that hard tire attacking now with
03:10DRS. And Perez taking the position away then. Oh, is he going to try it on the inside here into
03:18turn 12?
03:19Oh, it's going to be contact and it is contact. Max Verstappen into the side of George Russell.
03:25He was committed and in turn 12, the two of them come together.
03:30And so that is a massive benefit for the man who's put one of his best stints together of the
03:35entire
03:35season. And Sergio Perez gets a 2.4 second stop and is suddenly a contender. Yeah, absolutely. He almost
03:41took his front jackman with him. He was so electric away from that pit stop. Penalty for Russell for
03:49causing a collision is the verdict of the stewards. And we're back to racing speeds around Formula One's
03:54newest venue that is providing so much by way of entertainment. And Pierre Gasly worried Sergio
04:00Perez into a defensive shape. That's Fernando Alonso to the inside of Logan Sargent. And he's making 11th
04:06place with that move. But the rear of the car very nearly getting away from him when he applied the
04:11power.
04:11Another move around the outside. We've got the Haas trying to go past Daniel Ricciardo. And that is a sweet
04:16pass once again for Nico HĂŒlkenberg. Late, late, late on the brakes and later still for Oscar Piastri, who makes
04:22the corner, who makes the place and takes third. DRS is open again. This is the best run so far
04:29for Sergio
04:30Perez. Sergio Perez to the apex first. Sergio Perez to the lead of the Grand Prix. Having started in 11th,
04:38he had the run. He had the DRS. And the fans in the grandstand love another pass because we've got
04:44our
04:44third race leader tonight. These two are side by side, but not for much longer. The two teammates battling
04:53it out. And Esteban Ocon deep into turn one. Gasly sweeps on by. Great racing between these two.
05:01Nervy moments on the pit wall for Alpine. These two have history this season. Back in Australia,
05:07where they collided after a great run. Okay, Esteban, we want to hold position for the moment,
05:13please. Hold position for the moment. Esteban Ocon going all in in Vegas and taking fifth place.
05:20So he is pushing hard on those tires. And Charles Leclerc going to the inside. I was going to say,
05:25if he's going to take a risk, there's a chance. So I think Perez might have been caught by surprise.
05:30Another change of lead in Las Vegas. Are we about to resume the battle between Leclerc and Verstappen?
05:38The three race leaders in your picture at the moment. But is it a change of position between the two
05:42ripples as we go over the bumps? And it's Max Verstappen who takes second place in the race.
05:49There's a real opportunity now for Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc knows it. Driving on the mirrors now,
05:54checking the left one, checking the right one, trying to keep the world champion behind.
05:58We go down the strip. We're going to get another change of lead. Max Verstappen takes the place back.
06:02But look at how brave on the break Charles was, but he couldn't close the door.
06:07Verstappen takes the lead back once again. This race completely changed by the full safety car.
06:14There's a big opportunity now for George Russell, who appears in your picture ahead of the Williams.
06:20Nothing Alex Albon could do. And that is a good pass as we move our way through there.
06:25Was very nearly another one.
06:28Leclerc would desperately love to make that pass. Can he sit there for the remaining laps?
06:33And that's a wide moment for the Williams driver. And a disappointment for Alex Albon,
06:39who sees first Russell, then Sainz, then Alonso overtake him and he drops out of the points.
06:45We're understandably focusing on the battle for second place at the moment, but Gasly has George
06:51Russell right behind him off the road. Go Charles Leclerc at turn 12. He's been brave on the breaks,
06:57but on this occasion, just a bit wide on turning. Wheel to wheel action here. This is so quick through
07:0417.
07:05That is unbelievably brave. We've been waiting to see two drivers go wheel to wheel through there.
07:12This is the last real corner on the racetrack. It's flat to the floor by the time that you get
07:16out
07:16of 14, 15 and 16. Charles Leclerc is going forward to the inside as he got the car slowed down.
07:22What a move, Charles Leclerc. Absolutely brilliant at the last real chance that he had to make the pass.
07:28Checo tries to fight back. What a performance from the top three. Max Verstappen puts his name up in light
07:34once again.
07:35And it's very close to the line, but it's Charles Leclerc who takes second place with a bold and brilliant
07:41move at the last real opportunity.
07:44On the last lap, it's 18 Grand Prix victories for the season for Max Verstappen, who wins the Las Vegas
07:50Grand Prix.
07:51It's one of those days where I'm being told to wrap up and I just don't want to. A delirious
07:57Grand Prix of thrilling excitement.
07:59We'll see you for the season finale when Formula One returns.
08:02any other happens.
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