Las Vegas Grand Prix: Red Bull NIGHTMARE as F1 champions suffer title blow

EARLY REPORT: Red Bull have suffered a blow to their constructors' championship chances at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Sergio Perez lost ground during the earlier stages of the race.

The Mexican star once again made a Q1 exit during qualifying on Friday, and slipped down to P16 during the opening stint of the grand prix.

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Meanwhile, Red Bull's closest championship rivals, Ferrari, sat comfortably in the top three as they hunted for the victory in Las Vegas.

Charles Leclerc enjoyed a terrific start, not only getting past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, but also his team-mate Carlos Sainz for second.

Red Bull fight back at the Las Vegas GP

The Ferrari star proceeded to chase down George Russell for the lead, as the gap between the Mercedes dwindled lap-by-lap.

Not only did this present a blow to Red Bull's championship chances, but also McLaren's, who both languished towards the bottom of the top 10.

Lando Norris failed to get ahead of his championship rival Max Verstappen and remained in P6, whilst Oscar Piastri ran P8 and received a five-second time penalty for a false start.

Red Bull's constructors' championship chances may have received a drastic hit, but Verstappen's fourth title remained within his grasp after he flew up the field to P3.

The McLaren of Norris made an early pitstop, which saw him tumble down the order and outside of the top 10, alongside both Ferraris.

Perez, who started the race on the hard tyres, managed to climb up to P14 as he fought not only for points but also his F1 future.

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