Tomorrow in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen will be starting from the third row in pursuit of his fourth Formula 1 World Championship. The reigning world champion from Red Bull recorded the fifth fastest time in the qualifiers. Lando Norris, the only driver who could potentially upset Verstappen’s plans, finished the qualifiers in sixth place. The negative outliers in the qualifiers were Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez (eliminated in Q1) and Williams’ young driver Franco Colapinto (crashed in Q2). The pole position was claimed by George Russell.
Below is a summary of the qualifiers for the Las Vegas Grand Prix:
Q1: Verstappen Holds His Own, Pérez Disappoints
It’s still chilly late on Friday night in Las Vegas as the qualifiers get underway. In his first fast run in Q1, Max Verstappen, with a trimmed front wing, fails to match the top times of the McLaren and Mercedes drivers. He loses a lot of speed, especially in the final sector. He improves slightly in his second run, but the Red Bull team is far from satisfied. In his third (and final) run in Q1, the situation changes as the three-time world champion suddenly moves to the top of the time list with 1:33.299. Only the two Mercedes drivers manage to beat him at the last moment. George Russell is the fastest (1:33.186), followed by Lewis Hamilton (1:33.225). Lando Norris (McLaren) disappointingly finishes Q1 with the sixth fastest time (1:33.592).
And yes, Sergio Pérez is once again eliminated in Q1, delivering another disappointing performance. With his time of 1:34.155, Max Verstappen’s teammate ends up with the sixteenth fastest time. Fernando Alonso and Alexander Albon are also surprisingly out early.
Q1 Dropouts: Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso, Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll.
Q2: Colapinto Crashes Hard, Hamilton Fast
Max Verstappen is the first to go out in Q2. In his first fast run, he clocks 1:33.201, just behind Hamilton and Oscar Piastri, but ahead of Norris who is still struggling. Verstappen then improves to 1:33.085 and decides to stay in the pits in the final phase, as he is already safe. The fastest time is set by Lewis Hamilton (1:32.567).
Then a yellow flag is raised due to a severe crash by Franco Colapinto, who turns in too quickly and subsequently hits the wall in turn 16. A costly rookie mistake by the Williams talent, who is not writing off a car for the first time. The question is whether Colapinto can still participate in Sunday’s race, as the British team has brought few spare parts to Las Vegas. The crash marks an early end to Q2. Nico Hülkenberg benefits the most, advancing as the tenth and last driver to Q3.
Q2 Dropouts: Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Guanyu Zhou, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson.
Q3: Sporting Stunt by Gasly, Verstappen Satisfied
With some delay due to track repairs after Colapinto’s crash, Q3 gets underway. Max Verstappen is once again the first to hit the cooled track. His first fast run yields him the third time (1.33,215), behind Russell and Sainz, but again ahead of Norris. Hamilton has to abort his fast lap when he goes straight in turn 12. George Russell has firmly grazed the wall. Not too much damage, but still cause for a careful check.
Verstappen goes out late for his ultimate lap, on used softs. He drives to the fifth time: 1.32,797. For him, it is important that he stays ahead of Lando Norris once again. The Brit has to settle for the sixth time (1.33,009). George Russell proves to be in a class of his own. Despite slight damage to his Mercedes, he still takes pole: 1.32,312, ahead of Carlos Sainz and very surprisingly Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who signs for a new sporting stunt.
Top-10: George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hülkenberg, Lewis Hamilton.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix starts Sunday at 05:00 UTC.
