The Las Vegas Grand Prix has undoubtedly set a new standard for Formula One entertainment, especially in activities not strictly related to on-track action. It’s a unique event that, at least for now, stands out as an exception from the usual Formula 1 experience. Among various occurrences, even the traditional post-race private room, the “cooldown room,” has been reimagined in what is perhaps the most anticipated event on the 2023 calendar.
The post-podium moment, where interesting, spontaneous conversations often take place among the top three drivers, fresh from their cars, didn’t unfold in the typical cooldown room fashion in Las Vegas. Instead, the race winner Max Verstappen, second-placed Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Perez were chauffeured for the customary “hot” interviews in a road car, at the famous Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.
During this ride, the three drivers, seated in the back seats, exchanged banter. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez immediately inquired from Max Verstappen about the contact he had with George Russell’s Mercedes during his comeback after the first pit stop, where he received a 5-second penalty for pushing Charles Leclerc off the track at the first corner.
Verstappen: “I overtook him [Russell] in turn 12. I went… and he came towards me.”
Perez: “You didn’t lose anything?”
Verstappen: “Yes. But when the SC was out, I didn’t want to change the front wing. I would have lost a lot of time.”
Leclerc: “Did both of you pit under the Safety Car?”
Verstappen: “Yes. In the end, I pitted.”
Leclerc: “You were a bit quicker on the hards.”
Verstappen: “Yes.”
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At this point, Sergio Perez asked the other two drivers if they experienced graining with the medium tires in the first stint of the race.
Perez: “Graining on the mediums?”
Verstappen: “Yes.”
Leclerc: “We were really good on the mediums.”
Later, on the way to the Bellagio Hotel for post-race interviews, Charles Leclerc asked Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen where they were headed, being unaware of the destination.
Leclerc: “Where are we going?”
Verstappen: “Straight to the nightclub! Skip everything, see you all tomorrow! Or not!”
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