Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Quite the debut for Formula 1’s return in Las Vegas that started out with a only a few-minutes-long first free practice session on Friday, cut short by the track’s water valve disrupting Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
A 10-place grid penalty for the Spaniard after he was forced to change several components of his SF-23, including the PU and an hour-and-a-half-long late night FP2 to try and make up for the time lost.Another red flag cut short – only by five minutes – FP3 after Alex Albon hit the wall, but his Williams is all fixed and ready to go for Qualifying.
A more costly last free practice for Lance Stroll, as he was given a 5-place grid drop after overtaking Carlos Sainz under double yellow flags.
But let’s take a look at how things played out under the Vegas lights!
Q1
As the clock strikes midnight cars are lining up in the pitlane ready go out on track in a not too chilly atmosphere, as air temperature is around 14C degrees.
The first to set a time is Kevin Magnussen, who takes 1m35.968s to complete a lap around the 6.201Kms of asphalt.
And it’s Charles Leclerc taking an early lead with a 1m34.898s lap, surprisingly followed by Logan Sargeant who puts his Williams in P2. A 1m35.061s attempt for the American that is quickly beaten by Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile his teammate Sergio Perez could get in trouble with the FIA after blocking Lando Norris who is forced to give up on his lap.
Two sides of the garage for Mercedes as well in this first session, with Lewis Hamilton going third and George Russell sitting back in the very last place until the final minutes of Q1, when he goes P5.
Ferrari is looking rather fast, as Carlos Sainz takes the lead only to be beaten by his teammate, while Verstappen and Ocon touch around Turn 1 disrupting their laps and calling eachothers out on the radio.
A final attempt for Oscar Piastri to get his McLaren out of the elimination zone, but he can’t make it.A last minute drop out for his teammate Lando Norris, who is dropped back in P15 after Stroll completes his lap, while it’s P20 for Yuki Tsunoda who goes out at Turn 5 and brings out yellow flags and Stroll is -yet again- being investigated for not slowing down under it.
Out in Q1: Norris, Ocon, Zhou, Piastri, Tsunoda
Q2
First to top the timesheet this time around is Fernando Alonso’s, behind him are Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, while the Mercedeses are still warming up the tyres.
Hamilton and Russell come second and third right behind Verstappen, but fastest this Saturday yet seems to be Leclerc: 1m32.834s to take P1, half a second ahead of the Ferrari of his teammate Carlos Sainz in second place.
A risky move for Red Bull with Sergio Perez sitting in the garage, giving up on his final attempt, with only 0.40s keeping him out of the bottom 5.
Several drivers do improve their times in the last try and the Mexican is eliminated along with another surprise Lewis Hamilton, while it is Q3 for Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon.
Out in Q2: Hamilton, Perez, Hulkenberg, Stroll, Ricciardo
Q3
After closing the first two sessions of this Qualifying ahead of everyone is still Ferrari leading the way at the start of Q3, with Charles Leclerc in P1 and Carlos Sainz only 0.022s behind.
Third is Max Verstappen followed by Fernando Alonso, who manages to beat George Russell’s attempt that puts the Brit in fifth.
With only one minute to go Albon, Sergeant and Bottas are yet to set a time and ultimately they do to beat both Alonso, who is left in P10 and Kevin Magnussen.
It’s all red on the front row – at least on track, with Carlos Sainz being dropped back in P12 because of the FP1 penalty – as Charles Leclerc takes his 23th pole position, followed by his teammate and Max Verstappen.
