Charles Leclerc will be starting P4 on the grid for the F1 Las Vegas GP.
His teammate, Carlos Sainz on the other hand will be starting in the front row as he qualified P2 with a time of 1:32.312, some 0.373s ahead of Leclerc.
Tyre preparation
The 8-time race winner had concluded that tyre preparation was what he lacked compared to his teammate. It has been a struggle all weekend for the drivers on a low grip surface.
Getting the out-lap spot on was key, and it was something Russell, Sainz and Gasly all achieved.
“The drivers that have done a better job are the ones that have managed to put temperature in the tyres — and I have no idea what I have done wrong on that last lap.
“But I definitely did something wrong because the tyres felt so bad and when I got into Turn 1, I had zero grip and that is a bit of a shame.
“I felt like the pace was there, but the preparation of the tyre was really bad on my side.”
Understeer on final run
The Las Vegas winter definitely makes generating tyre temperature a much harder task then usual, and is the common challenge among the drivers this weekend.
Leclerc explained how the fronts were basically freezing, costing him a bundle of time in sector 1, especially during his final run in Las Vegas GP qualifying.
“But in Q3, my last run was a nightmare. The fronts were ice cold and I had like a crazy understeer all around through the lap. So it was a bit strange.
“We’ll look into the data. I don’t think I’ve done anything weird, but the grip was not there.
“Unfortunately, the worry was right because we’ve been struggling with that since FP1, but Carlos has understood something about it that I didn’t quite manage to reproduce.”
Sights on victory
Despite this, the Monegasque is still optimistic for a podium finish or even a win on Saturday night.
As seen from last year’s F1 Las Vegas GP, overtaking is possible and a charge through to the front is on the cards if you have the speed.
“I think we are strong in the race pace, so that’s a good thing.
“We’ll do our best to try and come back. I’m not only targeting the podium; it would be nice to have a win.
“I think the pace is there and if we do everything perfect this is achievable.”
