Between all the important news, you can miss quite a few things during a Grand Prix weekend. Don’t worry, F1Maximaal.nl will keep you informed of all the sense and nonsense from the world of Formula 1 in the Meanwhile in F1 section.
Leclerc and Magnussen are at odds with each other
In the third free practice, Charles Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen met several times. First, the Monegasque started his fast lap while Magnussen wanted to end his lap, delaying the Haas driver. Not much later, Leclerc suddenly bumped into the Dane on his fast lap, after which Leclerc responded again by pushing Magnussen towards the wall.
Leclerc and Sainz design Ferrari racing suits
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were allowed to go wild with the paintbrush prior to the race weekend in Las Vegas. The two Ferrari drivers were allowed to put their own spin on the Ferrari racing suit, which produced an artful result.
All Las Vegas helmets at a glance, including The Sphere equipped with a helmet
Many drivers will be driving with a special helmet this weekend in Las Vegas, for example Daniel Ricciardo has a blue helmet with flames and Carlos Sainz has gone all out with the casino theme. The Sphere, the gigantic sphere consisting of LED screens, could of course not be missing there. The Sphere also has a Las Vegas helmet, and this one will undoubtedly stand out the most…
Verstappen already has something to celebrate: he becomes an uncle for the third time
Max Verstappen will compete for his eighteenth victory of the season in Las Vegas this weekend, but he already has something to celebrate before race day. His sister Victoria Verstappen is pregnant with her third child, she announced through her official channels. Verstappen already had two nephews, but will soon have another nephew or niece.
Verstappen and Leclerc will battle each other in FP2
The race in the streets of Las Vegas is not until Saturday evening, but Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc already started a mini race during the second free practice. Verstappen passed his Monegasque colleague on the Las Vegas Strip, but the Ferrari driver then tried to pass the Dutchman again in the next corner. Leclerc reacted somewhat surprised about the on-board radio.
Ocon sees the fun in it: ‘I’m exhausted’
Esteban Ocon was one of the drivers in the first free practice in Las Vegas who suffered significant damage due to loose manhole covers. The Frenchman had to be fitted with a new chassis due to the extensive damage, but during the long wait for the second training session he couldn’t resist making a nice pun about the manhole covers: ‘I’m exhausted!’
Verstappen and Red Bull colleagues race with hovercraft in the desert
A new location was enough reason for Red Bull to put the drivers to work in a fun challenge in the desert. Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo, and Yuki Tsunoda competed in hovercrafts in the Mojave Desert, where Las Vegas is located.
Formula 1 celebrates Las Vegas weekend with a special video
The official Formula 1-X channel (formerly Twitter) has posted an animated video in honor of the race weekend in Las Vegas. The video shows animated versions of the twenty drivers.
Verstappen and Pérez congratulate Horner on his fiftieth birthday
Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner was allowed to blow out fifty candles on Thursday in Las Vegas. The Briton already received the necessary congratulations, including from his drivers Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. The latter makes a suggestion to celebrate this milestone in the accompanying video on Red Bull’s Instagram page.
Safety car enters the Las Vegas Strip for the first time
The Formula 1 drivers will be able to experience the new street circuit in Las Vegas for the first time on Thursday evening, but the safety car already explored the track under wet conditions on Wednesday evening. On X, formerly Twitter, F1 showed the first images of what awaits the drivers.
AlphaTauri shows beautiful livery for final races of 2023
Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, Williams, and Alfa Romeo preceded AlphaTauri, which is now the fifth team to use a special livery in Las Vegas. In the case of Red Bull’s sister team, this color scheme is also used in Abu Dhabi. The AT-04 has a beautiful new appearance, with which the team hopes to score enough points to take over seventh place from Williams.
Alonso sends hearts to Hülkenberg as a fan
In Las Vegas there was a grand opening ceremony at the start of the race weekend, where the drivers were guided to the podium on a platform. While the Haas drivers are waiting for the supreme moment, a very special fan comes by to admire his idol.
Alfa Romeo also uses special livery in Las Vegas
After Red Bull Racing and Ferrari introduced a special color scheme earlier this week, Alfa Romeo is now following suit, which largely omits the red colors in the gambling capital.
Hamilton and dog Roscoe get their own character in the computer game Fortnite
While preparations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix are in full swing, Lewis Hamilton is still busy with countless other things. For example, he revealed that, thanks to a collaboration with the world-famous Fortnite, he will have his own character in the game. However, he will not appear alone, because dog Roscoe will also have his own character.
Verstappen and Pérez race together through the Nevada desert
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez drove two Fords together in the desert. That, literally, caused quite a stir. This also ensures that Verstappen cleans his car at the start, while Pérez enjoys the sun.
Sainz manages to win the Netflix Cup, but demolishes the trophy
Carlos Sainz won the Netflix Cup on Tuesday evening. The Netflix Cup was a golf event in which four Formula 1 drivers (Sainz, Lando Norris, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly) participated. These drivers were each on a team with a professional golfer. The duo of Sainz and Justin Thomas ultimately proved to be the strongest. However, the trophy turned out not to be that strong after the fall.
Bottas presents nude calendar for charity
Valtteri Bottas has presented his own 2024 calendar on X, formerly Twitter. The Bottass calendar contains no fewer than thirteen nude photos of the Alfa Romeo driver. By selling this special calendar, the Finn hopes to raise money for Movember, an initiative that annually raises awareness and conducts research into, among other things, prostate cancer.
Verstappen proudly wears Virgil van Dijk’s competition shirt
Max Verstappen has sufficient contacts in the football world and the Red Bull Racing driver proudly told his friends that he was wearing Virgil van Dijk’s shirt. The defender of Liverpool and the Dutch national team was very important in the European Championship qualifying match against Greece. Van Dijk scored the winning goal for the Dutch team from a penalty kick. Verstappen talks about that very happily.
Ocon and Leclerc meet LeBron James
Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc attended a Los Angeles Lakers game on Sunday evening and were allowed to meet basketball player LeBron James afterwards. Ocon gave the basketball player a helmet as a gift and of course Leclerc and Ocon received a shirt in return.
Verstappen shows that modeling is no problem for him either
Max Verstappen does not like to be in the media spotlight, but did not skip the photo shoot for the cover of Modern Luxury Vegas Magazine. The three-time world champion posed effortlessly for the camera to add modeling work to his resume.
Horner welcomes newest member of the family
Christian Horner welcomed a new family member last week. This is not about a child or a new horse, but about a dog. Puppy Otis is now part of the Horner family. The team boss of Red Bull Racing had to say goodbye quickly, as the Grand Prix of Las Vegas is scheduled for this weekend.
F1 paddock gets its own wedding chapel in Las Vegas
The Formula 1 paddock in Las Vegas will be decorated this weekend with a wedding chapel. The American city is known for the fact that people can simply enter a chapel to get married and in the paddock guests also get this opportunity. “It’s lights out and together we go,” reads neon lights in the chapel, referring to commentator David Croft’s statement at the start of a race.
