The F1 Las Vegas GP qualifying session delivered showcased terrific skill, particularly from George Russell.
The Mercedes driver claimed pole position, marking his third of the season and the fourth of his Formula 1 career.
Russell’s performance highlighted his skill and underscored Mercedes’ improvement in form as they topped every session throughout the weekend.
A challenging circuit
The F1 Las Vegas GP circuit presented its set of challenges, and George Russell was acutely aware of the pressure that came with Q3.
Speaking afterwards, he said, “Yeah, [I am] incredibly satisfied and especially knowing the car’s been so quick all weekend, you know, as a team we’ve topped every single session.”
“And, nevertheless, when you get to Q3, you know what’s happened beforehand has no influence whatsoever. So the pressure kind of is ramped up.”
“It was a little bit touch and go for a moment because with the change to front wing, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the last lap. But then it was a super strong lap, especially the first two sectors. And just really, really pleased to secure the pole.”
Russell’s decision to wait until later in the session to set his final lap proved crucial. He noted that the track conditions improved significantly as qualifying progressed.
“Massively. I think probably between the very first car and the very last car who does their lap, it’s probably over a tenth. It’s probably the biggest track ramp of the whole season.”
This ‘massive’ track ramp-up allowed him to maximise his lap time.
Understanding the Mercedes advantage
When asked about Mercedes’ unexpected competitiveness at this unique venue, George Russell expressed both surprise and curiosity.
“I’d love to tell you, to be honest, it’s been a real surprise for all of us, and it’s something we need to really review because this is an outlier circuit. We haven’t done anything out of the ordinary specifically for Vegas, but for whatever reason, the conditions, the layout is playing in our favour. And I’m kind of scratching my head as to why, you know, we’ll ride with it for the time being.”
Despite the challenges Mercedes faced earlier in the season, Russell acknowledged that the car felt particularly good in certain sectors, especially the first.
“Especially in the first sector, the car feel was absolutely on rails, especially through the third corner. And as I said, we need to nail down after the weekend and maybe even into the winter, why it’s been working so good.”
As Russell prepares for the race tomorrow, he remains cautious. He noted that the long-run pace had been challenging across all teams and that tyre management would be critical.
He pointed out, “Well, I think the long run for everybody has been very challenging on the medium and the soft. There’s a lot of green.
“We saw the same last year, but I expect the hard tyre to be very resilient. But not one single driver has run the hard tyre as yet this whole weekend. So you’re going to be learning on the fly.
“Right now I’m very happy, very satisfied, but I’m not taking anything for granted going into tomorrow.”
