Sergio Perez secures 2nd place in Drivers’ Championship
Sergio Perez was finally able to secure second place in the Formula One drivers’ championship thanks to his finish on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Charles Leclerc overtook Perez for second place on the final lap of what was a wild finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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
— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) November 19, 2023
Though he finished third in the race, Perez was able to secure enough points to lock up second place in the drivers’ championship. He finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who finished 7th in Las Vegas.
Adding to Red Bull’s success, Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which not only gives him 53 career wins to tie with Sebastian Vettel, but also extends his record for wins in a season to 18. The finish was the first 1-2 finish in the drivers’ championship for Red Bull Racing.
Despite the thrilling race, the weekend was not without controversy. F1 fans filed a class-action lawsuit against the Las Vegas Grand Prix over the handling of refunds for a practice that was canceled. The session was canceled after Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was damaged when he drove over a valve cover.
With the final race of the week next week in Abu Dhabi, the Constructors’ Championship still remains competitive. Mercedes leads Ferrari by only 4 points for second place, while McLaren has only an 11-point lead over Aston Martin for fourth place.