- Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz second with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in third
- Verstappen starts ahead of Norris with eye on fourth consecutive title
George Russell claimed pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a superb lap on the streets of the city to narrowly beat Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz into second. With the title fight potentially to be decided in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen was fifth to start with an edge over his nearest rival Lando Norris in sixth. In a tightly contested session, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was an excellent third, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth and Yuki Tsunoda seventh for RB.
The result ensures Verstappen is still in position to claim his fourth consecutive world championship in Saturday’s race and take the title with two rounds remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Verstappen leads Norris by 62 points and would need to be 60 in front after Saturday’s GP to claim the championship. Any finish in front of Norris would be enough to seal the title, while the British driver must outscore Verstappen by three points or more in Las Vegas to prevent him taking the title and keep the fight alive until the next round in Doha.