Leclerc: Perez mistake inspired last lap Las Vegas overtake

Charles Leclerc has revealed how he noted an earlier Sergio Perez mistake and used it to inspire his last lap Las Vegas Grand Prix overtake. On the 50th and final lap in Nevada, Leclerc pulled 7G in deceleration force as he lunged past Perez on the brakes at the end of the 1.2-mile straight along the Strip to grab second place from the Red Bull driver. The move ensured Leclerc's best result since also finishing second in Austria 12 races before having himself made a minor mistake at Turn 12 that had let Perez through for the position. In order to prepare for the move, the Ferrari driver explained how he prepared, including taking a mental note of a minor mistake from the Mexican.

Leclerc explains Perez move

"Once I went for it, I was pretty confident it would work out," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365. "It was basically the only opportunity I had, and it was the only place where you could really go for an overtake. "I also had in mind that Checo had made a small mistake four or five laps before, so I knew he was being a little bit cautious on braking. "On the second to last lap, I started to recharge the batteries in order to get ready for that last lap, and it worked out. "It was obviously very, very tight but I was really happy and really enjoyed the fight." Leclerc also commented on the start to the weekend, where Free Practice 1 was abandoned following team-mate Carlos Sainz's car being destroyed by a dislodged water valve cover, leading to a lengthy delay to FP2. "I am especially happy to see that we finished this weekend on a high note, because it was hurting me to see the sport I love so much start on the wrong foot," he said. "But the fact that we had an amazing race, I think makes up for it and I am happy with that. There is not much to change [about the race] apart from the timing."