FERRARI’S Charles Leclerc will start in pole position for the huge race in Sin City.
The 26-year-old’s teammate Carlos Sainz finished runner-up in qualifying but will start 12th after being subject to a 10-place grid penalty.
Champion Max Verstappen was third-fastest, just pipping Brit George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton has work to do on Stateside as he begins in tenth position after suffering a shock Q2 exit alongside Sergio Perez.
- Race start time: 6am GMT/ 1am ET
- TV channel: UK: Sky Sports F1/ US: ESPN
- Live stream: UK: NOW/ US: ESPN app/website
- Grid: 1 Leclerc, 2 Verstappen, 3 Russell, 4 Gasly, 5 Albon, 6 Sargeant, 7 Bottas, 8 Magnussen, 9 Alonso, 10 Hamilton, 11 Perez, 12 Sainz, 13 Hulkenberg, 14 Ricciardo, 15 Norris, 16 Ocon, 17 Zhou, 18 Piastri, 19 Stroll, 20 Tsunoda
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Driver standings
- Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing / 524 (C)
- Sergio Perez / Red Bull Racing / 258
- Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / 226
- Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin / 198
- Lando Norris / McLaren / 195
- Carlos Sainz / Ferrari / 192
- Charles Leclerc / Ferrari / 170
- George Russell / Mercedes / 156
- Oscar Piastri / McLaren / 87
- Lance Stroll / Aston Martin / 63
- Pierre Gasly / Alpine / 62
- Esteban Ocon / Alpine / 46
- Alexander Albon / Williams / 27
- Valtteri Bottas / Alfa Romeo / 10
- Nico Hulkenberg / Haas / 9
- Yuki Tsounda / Alphatauri / 8
- Daniel Ricciardo / Alphatauri / 6
- Zhou Guanyu / Alfa Romeo / 6
- Kevin Magnussen / Haas / 3
- Liam Lawson / AlphaTauri / 2
- Logan Sargeant / Williams / 1
- Nyck De Vries / Alphatauri / 0
Some famous faces in attendance for qualifying yesterday
Credit: GETTY Credit: GETTY Credit: SPLASH Red Bull drivers to wear wacky outfits for Las Vegas GP
For Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, they will be hoping for A Little Less conversation and a little more action at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
And whoever comes out on top might be All Shook Up by the result.
That’s because the Red Bull drivers are set to wear Elvis-inspired suits, when they take to the track at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday evening.
Called the ‘Viva Las Vegas Suit’, after the King’s famous hit, there will be two versions – one in red, one in white.
Both feature signature star details on the trousers in homage to the Hound Dog star.
“As we gear up for the first ever Grand Prix in Las Vegas, it’s only fitting that we pay tribute to the most prolific Las Vegas icon, Elvis Presley,” Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner said.
“Elvis left his mark on Vegas and the world, becoming synonymous with the glitz, the flash, and the energy of the strip, something we are hoping to replicate as we take to the track on Saturday night.”
Credit: Courtesy of Oracle Red Bull Racing
Credit: Courtesy of Oracle Red Bull Racing
Starting Grid in full
1 Charles Leclerc
2 Max Verstappen
3 George Russell
4 Pierre Gasly
5 Alex Albon
6 Logan Sargeant
7 Valtteri Bottas
8 Kevin Magnussen
9 Fernando Alonso
10 Lewis Hamilton
11 Sergio Perez
12 Carlos Sainz Jr.
13 Nico Hulkenberg
14 Daniel Ricciardo
15 Lando Norris
16 Esteban Ocon
17 Zhou Guanyu
18 Oscar Piastri
19 Lance Stroll
20 Yuki Tsunoda
Credit: REUTERS Welcome to SunSport’s live blog of the Las Vegas Grand Prix!
Charles Leclerc will start on pole in Sin City after a superb qualifying performance.
The 26-year-old’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz finished just behind him in qualifying but will be forced to start the race in 12th after a 10-place grid penalty.
The Spaniard caused the first practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to be cancelled after less than ten minutes of action when he drove over a loose manhole cover.
CCTV footage from the track showed the moment Sainz’s car caused a huge outburst of sparks as the bottom of his car was ravaged by the cover.
The freak accident at the newly-created street circuit caused irreparable damage to his engine and chassis.
The damage meant Sainz would need to take a third energy store component, with drivers only allowed two for the full season.
Ferrari asked for an exception to the rules to make penalty-free repairs on the car due to the “highly unusual external circumstances”.
However, race stewards rejected this request and handed Sainz a ten-place grid penalty.
Meanwhile, F1 champion Max Verstappen will start second on the grid, while Lewis Hamilton has work to do in tenth.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
