Las Vegas Grand Prix – Qualifications: Leclerc went all in and secured pole position

Q1:

Contrary to many circuits where drivers only do one lap, the cold track in Las Vegas forced drivers to do several laps on the same tire in order to reach the optimal temperature. The hierarchy of the leaderboard was constantly being disrupted.

Early in the session, Charles Leclerc confirmed his status as the favorite for pole position. The Monegasque managed to leave the competition more than 5 tenths of a second behind with 7 minutes remaining.

For the first time since the Miami Grand Prix, both McLaren cars failed to make it into Q3. Such a result was to be expected considering the long straight lines that make up the Las Vegas circuit. The MCL60 is much more comfortable on tracks that require high aerodynamics.

The casino city games were not kind to Esteban Ocon. In the final moments of this first part of qualifying, the Frenchman had to make big steering gestures to avoid contact with slow-moving cars, reignited his rivalry with Verstappen as they entered the first turn side by side, and ended up being eliminated in 17th position. It’s a major disappointment for Ocon. Meanwhile, his teammate in the neighboring garage managed to comfortably progress to the next stage of qualifying, recording the 6th fastest time.

The eliminated in Q1: Yuki Tsunoda (20th), Oscar Piastri (19th), Zhou Guanyu (18th), Esteban Ocon (17th), and Lando Norris (16th).

Q2:

For 28 thousandths, Lewis Hamilton didn’t make it to Q3. Since the beginning of the weekend, the seven-time world champion hasn’t shown the same level of competitiveness in Las Vegas as his teammate. The British driver has already managed to turn the tables this season in the final moments, but not here. There is over 5 tenths of a second separating the two Mercedes drivers at the end of this Q2.

The Mercedes driver is going to start the race just ahead of his rival for the vice-champion title: Sergio Perez. Surprisingly, Red Bull decided to bring the Mexican into the pit less than three minutes before the end of the session. Not having enough time to go back out for more laps, Perez was doomed to watch his descent in the standings on the Red Bull garage screens.

The eliminated in Q2: Lewis Hamilton (11th), Sergio Perez (12th), Nico Hulkenberg (13th), Lance Stroll (14th), and Daniel Ricciardo (15th).

Q3:

Not returning to Europe after Brazil was a good decision for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque confirmed the hopes that were placed in him by securing the 23rd pole position of his career. With Sergio Perez eliminated in Q2, the only rival for Leclerc’s pole position was Max Verstappen, as his teammate is penalized with a 10-place grid penalty for changing the gearbox.

Gasly’s 6th place in Q1 was not an isolated incident. Throughout the following sessions, the Normand consistently showed up in the Top 10. In the end, a superb 5th position was within his grasp. While he admitted to not fully understanding where such performance came from in an interview with Canal+, it remains that significant points could be waiting for him at the end of the race tomorrow. With Sainz’s penalty, the Alpine driver will start in 4th place.

The two Williams were the other good surprise of the qualifying session. While Alexander Albon once again beat Logan Sargeant (the 27th time this season), the American was not ridiculous. The home atmosphere allowed him to achieve his best qualifying result of his career by securing the 7th position. Only two tenths of a second separated the two men.