Magnussen Wins in Style, Opens 2018 Season

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time
1	98	Salvatore Miccoli		1:08.659
2	99	Kevin Magnussen		1:08.800
3	27	Nathan McKane		1:08.804
4	1	Sebastian Vettel		1:08.940
5	2	Lewis Hamilton		1:08.980
6	29	Pastor Maldonado		1:08.982
7	62	Dave Cassidy		1:09.059
8	5	Valtteri Bottas		1:09.081
9	28	Marcel Agyemang-Badu		1:09.292
10	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		1:09.330
11	42	Davide Valsecchi		1:09.299
12	22	Johnny Cecotto Jr.		1:09.360
13	91	Max Verstappen		1:09.377
14	31	Rhys Davies		1:09.436
15	90	Daniel Ricciardo		1:09.473
16	43	Sergio Pérez		1:09.609
17	32	Daniel Melrose		1:09.649
18	67	Pierre Gasly		1:09.735
19	6	Matt Solomon		1:10.145
20	30	Nico Hülkenberg		1:10.216
21	12	Scott Dixon		1:10.456
22	66	Josef Newgarden		1:10.489
23	56	Bradley Dagnall		1:10.673
24	63	Jules Bianchi		1:10.856
25	55	Artem Markelov		1:10.888
26	11	Daniël de Jong		1:11.203

Report:

The happiest day of the year 2018 was March 3: Formula One returned to the screens of audiences worldwide. The premier racing series in the world today had a lot of debate after pre-season testing promised an awfully close field. It delivered on the hype with a thrilling battle in the city of Las Vegas, which saw Kevin Magnussen come out on top.

DGN were the strongest team on the American street track, taking control of qualifying and closing out the front row. At the start, Magnussen and polesitter Miccoli perfectly defended themselves against the opposition, securing a 1-2 after the first lap. Miccoli was in a great position to take his first win until his race engineer lost the lead to Magnussen on strategy.

Miccoli even dropped out of the podium spots when Nathan McKane and Sebastian Vettel used their superior pace to get past the Italian at the second round of stops. In the end, it was only fourth for the young Italian. He finished ahead of Marcel Agyemang-Badu, who had a thrilling debut, battling against three-time champion of the world Lewis Hamilton.

Pierre Gasly proved that he is able to take over Fernando Alonso’s job as the man carrying the entire dysfunctional Red Bull operation on his shoulders, completely demolishing his rookie teammate and scoring three valueable points. The much hyped newcomers Holden were also able to score, Rhys Davies finished the race in tenth position.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Points
1	99	Kevin Magnussen		50:15.228	15
2	27	Nathan McKane		+11.970	12
3	1	Sebastian Vettel		+12.707	10
4	98	Salvatore Miccoli		+13.800	10
5	28	Marcel Agyemang-Badu		+28.673	6
6	2	Lewis Hamilton		+30.664	5
7	5	Valtteri Bottas		+31.323	4
8	67	Pierre Gasly		+45.445	3
9	22	Johnny Cecotto Jr.		+48.548	2
10	31	Rhys Davies		+50.509	1
11	91	Max Verstappen		+56.560	0
12	43	Sergio Pérez		+59.368	0
13	29	Pastor Maldonado		+59.784	0
14	56	Bradley Dagnall		+65.494	0
15	90	Daniel Ricciardo		+66.192	0
16	12	Scott Dixon		+67.293	0
17	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		+68.750	0
18	63	Jules Bianchi		+1 Lap	0
19	11	Daniël de Jong		+1 Lap	0
20	55	Artem Markelov		+1 Lap	0
21	66	Josef Newgarden		+1 Lap	0
DNF	6	Matt Solomon		Engine	0
DNF	62	Dave Cassidy		Transmission	0
DNF	42	Davide Valsecchi		Suspension	0
DNF	30	Nico Hülkenberg		Suspension	0
DNF	32	Daniel Melrose		Throttle	0

Fastest Lap:

Salvatore Miccoli – 1:09.611

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Pierre Gasly – Great job taking a weak Red Bull car to P8.

Reject Of The Race:

Josef Newgarden – Was extremely disappointing in his debut race at home.