Leclerc bullish over Las Vegas odds despite F1 warning

Charles Leclerc is confident of piling the pressure on McLaren when F1 returns to Nevada for the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver finished second to Max Verstappen in the inaugural event last season, 41 years after F1 last visited 'Sin City'.

After qualifying on pole, the 27-year-old was unable to match the Red Bulls but did pull off a plucky overtaking move on Sergio Perez on the last real corner on the 50th and final lap of the race.

Team-mate Carlos Sainz suffered a 10-place grid penalty after running over a loose drain cover mere minutes into FP1 which necessitated a power unit change for the Spaniard.

It was a contentious issue, which characterised much of the weekend. Sainz was ultimately able to recover to sixth by the chequered flag.

This year, there is considerably more on the line for Ferrari. Trailing McLaren by just 36 points heading into the season-ending triple-header, the Scuderia has the opportunity to win its first constructors' title since 2008.

Whilst the Woking team's wait has been a decade longer, there is considerable pressure on Ferrari to prevent its current constructors' championship drought of 16 years from surpassing the wait for a title the Italian squad endured between 1983 and 1999, which it is equal to at present.

Since 2023, Ferrari has made considerable steps to improve tyre management, but its inability to keep its Pirellis cool paid dividends last year in Las Vegas, as it was offset by the cold temperatures.

Leclerc is expecting to struggle more than before, even if the overall outlook remains good for the team, which won two of the three grand prix during the previous triple-header to thrust itself back into the championship conversation.

"I think on paper it's a track where we should perform well," said Leclerc.

"However, the fact we have improved a lot with tyre management, means on a track where it is so cold, it will be difficult to put the tyres in the right window.

"On paper, it still looks positive. Maybe not as positive as last year but seeing how close everything is, I believe we will have a shot to win it."