Adrian Newey makes ‘honest’ claim on F1 2023 race Red Bull shouldn’t have won

Follow us on Google Discover

Adrian Newey has now admitted that Red Bull should not have won the Las Vegas GP in 2023 but Max Verstappen ‘made the difference’ to beat Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The Milton Keynes outfit enjoyed a nearly perfect season last year as Red Bull won 21 of the 22 Grand Prix. Verstappen even won 19 of the rounds en route to claiming the 2023 drivers’ championship. But Carlos Sainz denied them a flawless season by winning the Singapore GP.

Red Bull were uncharistically off the pace at Marina Bay as they struggled to find a set-up to suit the street track. Sainz took full advantage of their plight to take pole position for Ferrari, before fending off Mercedes driver George Russell and Lando Norris of McLaren for the win.

Newey admits Ferrari should have beaten Red Bull at the 2023 Las Vegas GP

But Red Bull’s global chief technical officer, Newey, believes Leclerc should have also denied Verstappen a win at the 2023 Las Vegas GP. The 26-year-old put his Ferrari on pole position in Sin City. But Leclerc failed to convert a 12th successive pole position into a Grand Prix win.

“The grid was tight and the races were getting tighter,” Newey told the Talking Bull podcast. “Austin, we were going to lose that. So, we took a gamble and pulled Max in to do an extra stop, and Max did the rest.

“Vegas, to be perfectly honest, [Leclerc] in the Ferrari was the quicker driver. Max made the difference there, for sure. So, by the end of the season – although we managed to win everything bar Singapore – everybody was snapping at our heels.”

How did Leclerc and Verstappen’s races unfold at the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP?

Verstappen initially got first place off Leclerc into Turn 1 at the start of the Las Vegas GP. But the stewards ruled he illegally forced the Monegasque off track having also run wide. Leclerc stayed close to the Dutchman through the early phase, before passing him at T14 on Lap 17.

Red Bull had already ordered Verstappen to box before Leclerc passed the 26-year-old. But Leclerc utilised the race lead to build a margin before Ferrari called their driver in after L21. Yet contact between Verstappen and Russell a few laps on necessitated a second safety car.

Having just stopped Leclerc for a new set of hard tyres, Ferrari opted to leave the 26-year-old out. But Red Bull called Verstappen in for more hard Pirellis and removed the Scuderia’s tyre off-set advantage. Red Bull also pitted Sergio Perez for a second time from the net lead.

Leclerc initially made light work of pulling away from Perez while Verstappen fought through traffic. But Perez responded and passed the Ferrari pilot into T14 on L32. Yet Leclerc replied on L35 with a shock dive into the same corner before Verstappen came through for the lead.

Verstappen edged away from Leclerc and Perez whilst they squabbled over P2 to, ultimately, win the Las Vegas GP. Perez initially moved into second spot on L43 when Leclerc outbraked himself into T12. But the Ferrari star shocked Perez again at T14 on the final tour for second.