Russell snatched pole from Sainz by 98k in Las Vegas and Verstappen wants the title now

George Russell

won pole in F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 there’s a great one ahead Carlos Sainzwho was second in a close final battle of qualifying in which the Spaniard was beaten by the Englishman by just 98 thousandths, and the amazing and majestic Pierre Gasly took third place on the grid, ahead of Leclerc (4 to 0). 471) and two men fighting for the title: Verstappen was 5th with 0.485, ahead of Norris (6th with 0.696). Max better stay ahead of Lando in the race to become the entertainment capital of the world champion. The current king has prepared the ground. He will try everything to become a four-time Formula 1 world champion. (Promote)

Formula One was looking for a spectacle when it came to Las Vegas last year, and at night, in the middle of nowhere, in front of thousands of lights from the most famous casinos and hotels on the planet, excitement is guaranteed due to how slippery the track is. there is a track. Pilots suffer a lot, as if they are flying on ice, and this creates uncertainty and chaos.

This was clear in last year’s race, with elements of theater and emotion on very difficult asphalt. And a year later, everything looks the same or even better, starting with the exit, which can be chaotic due to how much the track will slide in the first turn. There could be touches from the very beginning, starting with the fight between Sainz and Russell for first place. The race is promising.

Sainz, great chances to win in Las Vegas

Carlos Sainz He wanted to take pole this Saturday (Friday night in Las Vegas), but he had to settle for second place, which he had to look very favorably on. He Ferrari He’s performing much better in the race than he did in qualifying this year, and in last year’s race his grain management (a type of tire breakdown) was very good.

Carlos knew he had a car that had a harder time warming up the tires in qualifying than his rivals. And Mercedes were nominated as pole favorites thanks to their better performance on the icy Las Vegas track, with the asphalt temperature as low as 13 degrees.

Carlos made it clear he was up for anything with a great first run in Q3 in which he momentarily put himself in first place until Russell He beat him by 2 tenths. Hamilton, another favorite, disappeared at a crucial moment again this year with a braking pass. Leclerc failed in Turn 7, sliding too far to the outside and losing a lot of time, and Verstappen surpassed his rival for the crown, Norris. But there was one last attempt left. Decisive. And this second turn only confirmed what was seen before.

Sainz He flew again, driven by a great desire to succeed one last time. Ferrari before packing your bags Williams. You know it Vegas This is the best of the three tracks that will remain until the end World to claim this victory and I didn’t want to waste it.

The Spaniard was put in first, but then Russell arrived like a plane. The Briton with the best car did not disappoint on such cold asphalt and “as a last resort” overtook Carlos Sainz, who deserved a bigger prize, by only 98 thousandths.

The key could be that he entered the track a little later. He was able to play it, setting the fastest time on the first lap. So, He insisted over the radio to his engineering team that he wanted to start last to set the latest time, realizing it could give him an extra boost because of how much the track was improving. And so it was. He left the track last and overtook Carlos to take the fourth pole position of his career, his third this year after victories at Silverstone and Canada.

Against, Charles Leclerc failed again, as did Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari’s two 2025 leaders made mistakes at a key moment, but not Sainz, who won’t be wearing red next year.

This Sunday Carlos has a huge opportunity to win, his fifth win with Ferrari, his third of the season and possibly his last with Maranello. The racing pace of his car could allow this. You can’t take anything for granted in Las Vegas though. The track is very slippery and there is a high chance of a safety car, accidents or red flags. Anything can happen at the skating rink. Of course, the cards that Carlos holds are very good.

Verstappen’s match ball over Norris

Norris started as one of the favorites for pole in Las Vegas and was beaten again at a crucial moment by Max Verstappen, who had recovered again from tire warm-up problems he had had the day before.

Verstappen always maximizes the performance of his car and takes full advantage of it. He has the gift of being the best on the grill. It doesn’t fail. And he did it again. He didn’t reach pole position, but achieved his priority goal of getting ahead of Norris. Lando, who had almost no chance of winning the title, was forced to fight for pole position and try his best to extend his opponent’s wait. But in qualifying the Dutchman was 5th, and Norris will start right behind him, in 6th place. If Max is ahead in Las Vegas, he will become the champion. There might be a hangover on Monday.

Alonso, 17th

Fernando Alonso couldn’t work a miracle with Aston Martin which is very far from what it should be. The Asturian was 17th and dropped out in the second quarter. This is one of the worst cars on the grid and in Vegas This was again one turn, the car’s theoretical strong point.

Also fell in the first quarter “Checo” Perez on Red Bull with whom his friend Verstappen He was fifth, light years behind the Mexican. “Checo” continues to play with fire and his future is not guaranteed. Neither that Colapinto who was able to make it to the second part of the qualification and surpassed his teammate Albonwhich fell in the first quarter. However, the Argentine took too many risks and found himself against the wall in the second quarter, which does not help his attempts to stay in Formula 1, nor does it help Williams due to the large repair costs that have accumulated this year.