“`html
LAS VEGAS — In an unexpected turn of events, George Russell achieved pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, overtaking his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was initially favored but faced challenges during the final qualifying session on Friday night.
“It feels incredible to be back on pole; we’ve been very quick all weekend,” Russell expressed after earning his fourth career pole. “I’m just thrilled, but we need to do some serious analysis to understand why we have been so fast because it’s been quite surprising.”
Hamilton led the first two practice sessions of the weekend, while Russell claimed the fastest time in Friday night’s final practice. However, during qualifying, Hamilton made two crucial errors in the final round, finishing in a disappointing 10th place, as Russell readied to lead the pack in Saturday night’s race.
Russell secured his top starting position just at the end of the session, pushing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc, who had looked set to dominate the front row, to second and fourth places, respectively, while Pierre Gasly took third.
“That was a tight qualifying; I was a lot closer to pole than I expected,” Sainz admitted. “I thought I had it until George put in a very fast lap at the end. We need to stay confident that tomorrow we could be even more competitive and potentially go for the win.”
Max Verstappen, the championship leader from Red Bull, qualified fourth. To clinch his fourth consecutive world title, he needs to earn three more points than McLaren’s Lando Norris, who qualified sixth.
Verstappen encountered difficulties throughout the weekend, as Red Bull struggled with an incorrect rear wing setup. However, the team asserted that the issue was resolved just in time for qualifying.
Unfortunately, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez faced another setback, being eliminated in the first qualifying group for the sixth time this season, leaving him to start in 16th place. Red Bull is currently third in the constructor’s championship with only three races left and is striving to maintain a competitive edge.
“It’s unbelievable; it doesn’t get any better,” Perez commented over the team radio. “I just can’t find any grip.” He later acknowledged the difficulties Red Bull has experienced during the Las Vegas weekend.
“I’ve really struggled with grip this entire weekend. Putting a lap together has been incredibly tough,” he noted. “I anticipated a challenging qualifying and indeed it was tough.”
Franco Colapinto, a driver often speculated as a potential replacement for Perez at Red Bull, faced a difficult qualifying session as well, crashing heavily into the wall just as the second qualifying group concluded. The incident severely damaged his Williams, less than 24 hours before the race.
This accident not only delayed the start of the third qualifying session but could also have implications for Colapinto’s future in the sport. He had already crashed out during the previous race in Brazil while running in 16th place, incurring significant damage for Williams under safety car conditions due to rain.
While Colapinto emerged unscathed from the incidents, the costs incurred have been substantial. He was a midseason replacement for Logan Sargeant, who was let go due to underperformance. In the upcoming season, he will be succeeded at Williams by Sainz.
Although Colapinto had shown promise by scoring points in two of his six races with Williams, his recent crashes are jeopardizing his chances of securing a seat in Formula 1 for 2025. Compounding Williams’ woes, Alex Albon also failed to progress beyond the first qualifying group.
“`
