George Russell achieved pole in F1 Las Vegas GP 2024 leading to a great Carlos Sainzwho finished second in a close final battle in qualifying where the Spaniard was overtaken by the Englishman at the horn, by just 98 thousandths, with the surprising and excellent Pierre Gasly in third place on the grid ahead of Leclerc ( 4th to 0″ 471) and the two men fighting for the title: Verstappen is 5th at 0.485 ahead of Norris (6th at 0.696). Max better stay ahead of Lando in the race to be champion in the entertainment capital of the world. The ground was prepared by the present king. He will try everything to become a four-time F1 world champion. (Advance)
F1 was looking for a spectacle when it arrived last year in Las Vegas and, at night, in the middle of the desert, before thousands of lights of the most famous casinos and hotels on the planet, excitement is guaranteed because if how slippery the track is. The pilots suffer a lot, as if they are flying on ice, and that causes uncertainty and chaos.
This was clear in last year’s race, with touches of theater and emotion on a very complex asphalt. And a year later, things look the same or better, starting from the exit which can be messy because of how slippery the track is in turn 1. There could be touches at the start, starting with Sainz and Russell’s battle for first place. Race promise.
Sainz, big chance to win in Las Vegas
Carlos Sainz He wants the pole this Saturday (Friday night in Las Vegas), but he will have to settle for second place which he should take a good look at. He Ferrari He is performing better in the race than in qualifying this year and last year in the race his management of ‘graining’ (type of tire wear) 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 appointed as pole favorites thanks to their better behavior on the icy track of Las Vegas, with only 13 degrees of asphalt temperature.
Carlos made it clear that he would do everything in a good first attempt in Q3, where he put himself ahead for a while, until Russell He beat him by 2 tenths. Hamilton, another of the favourites, faded again at the crucial moment, again this year, with a braking pass, Leclerc failed at 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. The decisive. And the second turn only confirmed what had been seen until then.
Sainz He took off again, driven by his overwhelming desire to succeed one last time Ferrari before packing your bags Williams. You know that Vegas It is the best of the three circuits that remain until the end of the world to qualify for that win and I don’t want to waste it.
The Spaniard was first, but Russell arrived, like an airplane. The Briton, with a better car on such a cold asphalt, did not fail and surpassed ‘in extremis’, by only 98 thousandths, a Carlos Sainz who deserved a bigger prize.
The key may come off the track later. He could play it off having set the best time on his first lap. So, He insisted to his team of radio engineers that he wanted to start last time to set the final time, knowing that it could give him an extra boost because of how much the track had improved. And so it was. He left the track last and overtook Carlos to take the fourth pole of his career, the third this year after achievements at Silverstone and Canada.
On the contrary, Charles Leclerc failed again, as did Lewis Hamilton. The two Ferrari leaders of 2025 were wrong in the main moment, but not Sainz who will not wear red next year.
This Sunday, Carlos has a great chance to win, to achieve his 5th Ferrari victory, his third of the season and probably his last in Maranello. His car’s racing speed may allow it. Although in Las Vegas you can’t take anything for granted. The track is very slippery, there is a high probability of a safety car, accidents or red flags. In a skating rink, anything can happen. Of course, the cards Carlos holds are very good.
Verstappen’s ‘Match Ball’ to Norris
Norris started as one of the favorites for pole in Las Vegas and again melted down in the decisive moment against Max Verstappen who again recovered from the tire heating problems he suffered the day before.
Verstappen always maximizes the performance of his car and takes advantage of everything. He has a gift, being the best on the grill. It did not fail. And he did it again. He didn’t get the pole but he did achieve the priority objective of staying ahead of Norris. Lando, who had almost no choice in the title, was forced to go to the post and push hard to prolong his opponent’s wait. But in qualifying, the Dutchman was 5th and Norris would start at the back, in 6th place. If Max is first in Las Vegas he will be the champion. On Monday, there may be a hangover.
Alonso, 17th
Fernando Alonso can’t work a miracle on a Aston Martin which is far from what it should be. Asturian was 17th and eliminated in Q2. It is one of the worst cars on the grid and inside Vegas This is again a turn, the theoretical strong point of the car.
Also fell in Q1 ‘Checo’ Pérez with a Red Bull where is his companion Verstappen He is 5th, light years behind the Mexican. ‘Checo’ continues to play with fire and his future is uncertain. Nor of a Cola pinto who made it into Q2 and passed his teammate Albonwhich fell in Q1. However, the Argentinian took too many risks and ended up in the wall in Q2, something that didn’t help his attempt to stay in F1, and also didn’t help Williams because of the many repair costs it has accumulated this year.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
