George Russell clinched pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a high-action Q3 session, with Max Verstappen finishing fifth, just ahead of Lando Norris.

Q1

At the start of qualifying, Sergio Pérez was a surprise elimination. He later cited grip issues with his RB20 as the cause. Despite several late attempts at improvement, Pérez was pushed into the elimination zone and will start tomorrow from 16th place. Aston Martin also failed to progress further, with both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll being eliminated. Stroll's car, the slowest in Q1, had been repaired after experiencing power unit issues during FP3.

Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas joined the group of early exits. Bottas, however, faces a penalty, meaning he will start last on the grid.

Q2

The second session ended dramatically when Franco Colapinto crashed at the exit of Turn 16. The Argentine driver clipped the inside barrier, which sent him into the opposite wall, leaving his Williams severely damaged. Despite causing a delay, most drivers had already managed to set their laps before the incident. Colapinto was classified 14th, with his crash effectively ending the session.

Esteban Ocon missed out on a place in the top 10 as his teammate Pierre Gasly’s late surge eliminated Kevin Magnussen. Zhou Guanyu advanced to Q2 and finished 13th, while Liam Lawson aborted his final flying lap attempt and finished Q2 in 15th place.

Q3

George Russell was the last driver to complete a lap in Q3, clocking an impressive 1:32.312s to snatch pole position from provisional leader Carlos Sainz. Russell had initially set the benchmark in the session’s first runs with a 1:32.811s. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who stood out in Q2, abandoned his lap in Q3 after a mistake at Turn 14.

The fight for pole intensified in the final moments. Charles Leclerc moved ahead of Russell, but Sainz improved on his teammate’s time to take provisional pole. However, Russell responded with a flawless final lap to reclaim the lead and secure pole position.

Pierre Gasly impressed with a quick lap, placing him third on the grid and splitting the Ferrari duo. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will line up on the third row, with Yuki Tsunoda qualifying seventh ahead of Oscar Piastri. Nico Hülkenberg secured ninth place.

Hamilton faced a challenging Q3 session, finishing 10th after his fastest lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Earlier, he had lost control of the rear of his car and, while completing another lap, it was not enough to improve his position. Notably, had Hamilton matched his Q2 performance, he would have qualified third.

Russell’s pole promises an exciting race, with a highly competitive field set to battle under the lights of Las Vegas.