Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has secured the first pole position on Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas.
The Formula 1 qualifying on the streets of Las Vegas has become a big event for Ferrari – and Charles Leclerc goes into the Grand Prix from pole position. The Monegasse dominated the session on Saturday (November 18th, 2023) and relegated his teammate Carlos Sainz to second place. However, the Spaniard slips back ten positions due to a starting position penalty and will only start from twelfth place.
Verstappen advances
Second place goes to world champion Max Verstappen, who had no chance in the otherwise superior Red Bull and was almost four tenths behind. Mercedes driver George Russell will start the Grand Prix in third place late on Saturday evening local time (Sunday, 7 a.m. CET).
Qualifying was disappointing for Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes (10th) and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull (11th). Nico Hülkenberg placed his Haas in 13th place. Qualifying was the first sporting highlight of this premiere on Las Vegas Boulevard, which at the start did not go at all in the spirit of Formula 1.
problems with training runs
During the first free practice session on Thursday, a drain cover came off and destroyed Sainz’s Ferrari; the session was canceled after just eight minutes and not resumed.
In the second and third training sessions, the drivers had little time to get to know the completely new track and make it passable: from lap to lap, the initially slippery asphalt became faster because there was more and more rubber abrasion on the ideal line. But a trend was noticeable: Ferrari was fastest. This continued at the start of qualifying.
Leclerc distances himself from competition
Leclerc ended up ahead of Sainz in Q1 and Q2, with big gaps behind him. And in the decisive round he also distanced himself from his teammate by 44 thousandths.
For the first time, Formula 1 is running a Grand Prix this weekend that will take you through the most famous streets of Las Vegas. There had already been two races in the city in the 1980s, but these took place in the parking lot of Caesars Palace.