Russell claims Las Vegas F1 GP pole with Verstappen just ahead of Norris

George Russell absolutely shone in claiming pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix under the glowing neon of the Strip with a superb lap for Mercedes but while he has every chance to convert it to a win, the focus in sin city will be on the big prize, with the world championship battle finely poised for Saturday’s night’s potentialtitle-deciding race.

Max Verstappen who was fifth, had the edge over title rival McLaren’s Lando Norris in sixth. The pair line up alongside each other on the grid, perhaps far more than Verstappen might have hoped for given how the Red Bull struggled for pace in practice. Yet the pressure is on Norris who must get in front of Verstappen and make up places on the world champion.

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Qualifying just in front of his rival ensures Verstappen is still in a strong position to claim his fourth consecutive world championship. He leads Norris by 62 points and would need to be 60 in front after Saturday’s race to secure the championship. Any finish in front of Norris would be enough to seal it, while the British driver must outscore him by three points or more to keep the fight alive until the next round in Doha.

Neither driver enjoyed their best qualifying and Verstappen remained circumspect about his race pace, with tyre wear on the street circuit likely to play a crucial role. While Norris maintained he would be giving his all. “He’s only just ahead of us today,” he said. “I think we have a chance to beat them tomorrow. I’ll go out and do my best.”

If Verstappen can close it out in Las Vegas it would be the culmination of what would be the hardest-fought season he has had to endure to win. With the Red Bull having lost its dominance after the sixth round in Miami and the Dutchman having to grind out a series of championship-defining drives that have brought him to Nevada with the title within reach.

They will be in a race with one another in terms of relative points scoring but out front Mercedes have a definitive edge. Their car was enormously quick in the cold conditions and Lewis Hamilton rued not being able to take advantage as Russell had, making two minor errors on his crucial laps that left him languishing in 10th place. “I should have been on pole but I am not,” said a pained Hamilton. “C’est la vie. You live to fight another day. But I didn’t do the job. I didn’t put the laps together. It’s not a stinger. I feel great. The good thing is I have pace.”

Russell however was in the groove and took his third pole of the season, beating Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz into second and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly into an excellent third in what was a very tightly-contested session.

With the track rubbering-up, the final laps were crucial and Russewas last out but only just. He had brushed the wall on his first hot lap in Q3 and the team had to fit a new front wing in the brief moments between runs. They managed it and while Sainz improved to take the top spot it was but brief as Russell nailed an even better lap, of 1min 32.31secs, with a fine run, a 10th up. “We have been so quick all weekend, and I just knew coming into Q3 that lap would be the one that counts,” he said.

Russell was disappointed at not converting pole to a win in Canada and Silverstone and at being disqualified from victory at Spa after his car was discovered to have been underweight and will be determined to execute flawlessly on Sunday to claim a third F1 victory. While for Mercedes it was another reminder of the mercurial nature of their car, such that when it is in the window it is very quick indeed but said window remains elusive and fiendishly narrow. The team now have a genuine shot at taking a fourth win this season, a tally they have not managed since 2021 but all eyes will be on Verstappen and Norris who are playing for the really high stakes in Vegas.

General Motors’ attempt to enter F1 as the 11th team on the grid is believed to have reached an advanced stage over the weekend of the Las Vegas GP. The team’s acceptance to join the sport in 2026 could be officially announced as early as next week. GM had been working with the Andretti team as part of their unsuccessful efforts to be granted a place but F1 did not consider they would be competitive enough. However with the bid retooled as a GM works team including building their own engine by 2028 and potentially entering under the Cadillac brand name, it appears F1 now consider it to be a strong commercial prospect.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in fourth and Yuki Tsunoda in seventh for RB. Oscar Piastri was eighth for McLaren and Nico Hülkenberg ninth for Haas.

Williams’ Franco Colapinto suffered a major impact with the wall at the penultimate corner, taking severe damage and ending Q2, he finished 14th but was unhurt. The final session was delayed while the wall was checked and the track was cleared of debris. Esteban Ocon was 11th for Alpine, Kevin Magnussen 12th for Haas, Guanyu Zhou 13th for Sauber and Liam Lawson 15th for RB.

Sergio Pérez’s woes continued, with the Mexican knocked out in Q1 in 15th. Fernando Alonso was 14th for Aston Martin. His teammate Lance Stroll suffered an energy recovery system failure in final practice. He took part in qualifying for one hot lap but could manage only 20th place. Alex Albon was 18th for Williams and Valtteri Bottas was 19th for Sauber but with a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, he will start from the back of the grid.