George Russell takes pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the race starting tomorrow at 7 AM Italian time.
George Russell claims pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. After dominating the third free practice session, the Mercedes driver finishes on top with a time of 1:32.312. In second place is Carlos Sainz, just ninety-eight thousandths behind, while in third is the remarkable Alpine of Pierre Gasly. Charles Leclerc takes fourth, followed by Max Verstappen in fifth. McLaren struggled, with Lando Norris in sixth and Oscar Piastri in eighth, with Yuki Tsunoda sandwiched in between. Lewis Hamilton, disappointed, ends up tenth, after making two significant mistakes in Q3. Tomorrow, at 7 AM Italian time, the race is set to be very exciting.
The Qualifying Report from Las Vegas
The first 18 minutes of Q1 – The 20 cars take to the track in the cold Las Vegas night, with Red Bull trying to minimize damage after making some rear wing adjustments during the third practice session. The first notable times are set by the two McLarens, while Perez, on his first attempt, is eight-tenths off the top spot. The track improves lap by lap, with the two Ferrari drivers opting for a double warm-up lap before setting their fastest times.
Leclerc, on his first attempt, goes to the top, breaking the 1:34 barrier with a time of 1:33.966. However, as often happens in Q1, the times improve in the final minutes, with the field becoming very tightly packed and the track evolution significant. In the frantic final moments, most drivers improve thanks to a second attempt on the soft tires, with some notable slipstreaming among Red Bull teammates. Sergio Perez manages to improve and momentarily takes 12th place.
At the end of the session, the Mercedes cars take the top two positions, with Russell leading Hamilton by just 39 thousandths, and Verstappen trailing by one tenth. All drivers improve their times, with Colapinto managing to qualify his Williams, while Tsunoda eliminates Perez, relegating the Mexican driver to 16th place. The two Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll (who only managed a single flying lap due to car issues) are also eliminated, alongside Albon and Bottas.
15 cars are on track for Q2, with both Mercedes and McLaren using used tires. The first significant moment of the second session comes from Hamilton, who sets a time of 1:33.136, ahead of a surprising Hulkenberg. The track evolves significantly, with Piastri and Norris, also on used tires, taking second and fourth positions, while Verstappen, on his first attempt, finishes just 65 thousandths behind the top spot.
Everyone was very close together, and the track evolved significantly, with the two Ferrari drivers setting their best times on fresh tires: Leclerc stopped the clock at 1:33.016, while Sainz secured sixth place. In the last five minutes, all drivers were out on track with fresh tires. Mercedes showed great form, with both drivers going under the 1:33 mark, Hamilton setting a time of 1:32.567, ahead of Sainz and Russell. Gasly took fourth place, while in the final moments, there was a major crash for Franco Colapinto in the last sector, requiring more work from the dedicated Williams mechanics. Colapinto, therefore, was eliminated alongside Zhou, Lawson, Magnussen, and Ocon.
The start of Q3 was delayed to clean up the debris left by Colapinto’s Williams, and times were higher compared to Q2. Carlos Sainz set a time of 1:33.022, with McLarens Norris and Piastri behind, while Leclerc lost seven-tenths on his first attempt due to some mistakes. Max Verstappen’s first attempt was 193 thousandths behind Sainz’s best, but it was Mercedes’ Russell who beat everyone with a time of 1:32.811. Hamilton made an error and didn’t set a time on his first run, while Gasly impressed with sixth place.
In the final runs of Q3, everyone pushed to the limit. Hamilton made another mistake in the second sector and will start from tenth. The two McLarens completed their laps first, with Norris in third and Piastri in fifth, while Leclerc set a provisional pole with a time of 1:32.783. In the final moments, Russell and Sainz crossed the line, with the Mercedes driver taking pole position with a time of 1:32.312, just 98 thousandths ahead of Sainz. Gasly delivered a stunning third place, while Verstappen finished fifth, just behind Leclerc.