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Max Verstappen wasn't the most jubilant man on the planet when he was handed a five-second penalty after his incident with Charles Leclerc during the 2023 Las Vegas GP.
Verstappen started the Las Vegas Grand Prix from the front row, sharing it with polesitter Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Not long into the race, the reigning three-time world champion ducked down inside of the left-hand Turn 1 to get the better of Leclerc and grab the lead.
However, things didn't pan out his way as the grip was limited on the surface. Verstappen went deep into the run-off area, making contact with the Monegasque and forcing him away from the race in the process.
Max Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for pushing another driver off the track. This didn't go down very well with the Dutchman in the heat of the moment, who yelled over the team radio:
"Yeah that's fine. Send them my regards."
But despite the stumbling blocks that came his way during the race, Verstappen managed to secure his 19th win of the season at the Las Vegas Street Circuit. He finished ahead of Leclerc and Sergio Perez.
The Las Vegas GP was another instance of the Dutchman snatching the win away from polesitter Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen believes his penalty after the Charles Leclerc incident was "the right call"
Max Verstappen spoke to the media following the race, where he reflected on the events that transpired between him and Charles Leclerc at Turn 1. Verstappen said:
"We both braked quite late to defend the position but I was a bit on the inside. As soon as you go offline here, it's super low grip. And that's what happened. I braked and there was no grip." (Via Motorsport.com)
The 26-year-old added:
"I didn't mean to push Charles off the track, but I couldn't slow it down and just kept sliding on four wheels wide."
The Red Bull Racing driver revealed feeling frustrated after he forced Leclerc off the grid. He said:
"At the time, I was also full of adrenaline and I was unhappy with the decision. But looking back at it, that was probably the right call."
With the penultimate race of the season in his bag, Max Verstappen will now shift his focus towards the Abu Dhabi GP, hoping to end his already dominant season on a high note.
