The signs that show Leclerc really was set to beat Red Bull in Vegas

The all-new Las Vegas Grand Prix had a familiar winner in 2023 of Max Verstappen, taking his 18th victory of the season, but Charles Leclerc was adamant had the cards fallen his way in Sin City he would’ve taken home the jackpot. Here’s a look at how his claim stacks up and where the ace in the deck fell to Red Bull

"I really believe that… the win was ours."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, sitting alongside winner Max Verstappen in the post-race press conference for Formula 1's returning event in Las Vegas, was clearly buzzing from the adrenaline surges of battling the Red Bull cars in a genuine multi-car win fight for the first time in forever.

But under the surface, he knew something much better had slipped through his fingers. However, was this really another Ferrari win lost?

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.