George Russell put his Mercedes on pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix as team-mate Lewis Hamilton faltered to qualify only 10th.
As Russell saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by just 0.098 seconds to land top spot in Sin City, Hamilton was left to rue two mistakes which leaves him way down the order.
Pierre Gasly took a surprise third for Alpine, one place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris must outscore Max Verstappen by at least three points to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar, but the British driver will start one place behind the Dutchman in sixth.
Follow live updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix:
F1 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX – LATEST UPDATES
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George Russell claims pole position for the Las Vegas GP; Sainz 2nd; Gasly 3rd
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The race in Vegas starts at 6am (GMT) on Sunday
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Click HERE for the top-10 in qualifying
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CRASH! Franco Colapinto slams his Williams into the wall
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Max Verstappen can win the title this weekend if he finishes higher than Lando Norris
When is the Las Vegas Grand Prix?
09:18 , Kieran Jackson
Time GMT
Sunday 24 November
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell claims pole!
07:25 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell snatches pole at the end – by 0.098 secs to Carlos Sainz in second!
And Pierre Gasly a shock name in third!
Max Verstappen in P5, a spot above Lando Norris in P6. If they finish the race like that, Verstappen will be world champion!
4-10: Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Tsunoda, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Hamilton
Hamilton lost the back end on his final lap! A shocker of a Q3 for Hamilton!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Max Verstappen after qualifying P5…
09:11 , Kieran Jackson
“We tried to do the best we could as a team, we tried a lot of different things. It clearly wasn’t enough to fight for pole, I’m still quite happy and still in front of McLaren, which is a bit of a surprise.
“In the long run, both us and McLaren were not great. A lot of teams have made changes, only time will tell tomorrow how we are going to perform.”
How can Max Verstappen win the 2024 title?
08:57 , Kieran Jackson
There are now just 86 points available across the next three races in Vegas, Qatar (including the final sprint race of the season) and Abu Dhabi.
By the end of the weekend in Vegas, there will be just 60 points left to claim.
That means that if Verstappen simply finishes above Norris in Vegas, he will be crowned the 2024 champion. The Dutchman would also seal the title if both drivers fail to score a point.
Verstappen will also win the 2024 title if Norris does not outscore the Red Bull driver by more than two points.
As a result, Verstappen will be world champion in Sin City if:
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If Norris is second and he finishes third with the fastest lap
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If Norris is third and he finishes fourth with the fastest lap
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If Norris is fourth without the fastest lap and he finishes fifth
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If Norris is fifth without the fastest lap and he finishes sixth
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If Norris is sixth without the fastest lap and he finishes seventh
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If Norris is seventh without the fastest lap and he finishes eighth
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If Norris is eighth without the fastest lap and he finishes ninth
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If Norris is ninth without the fastest lap or lower irrespective of where he he finishes
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Lando Norris after qualifying P6…
08:43 , Kieran Jackson
“No chance [for pole]. The top three and four out of reach, Mercedes have been the quickest all weekend. Us and Red Bull a decent chunk behind, we expected a bit more than where we were. We’re struggling in every corner, it was too difficult and too much of a challenge with our car.
“I’ll do everything I can, I’m not going to give up until the end even though the chances are extremely slim. I’ll go out tomorrow, it’s a long race, we’re quick in the straights – hopefully that can come to our advantage.”
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Lewis Hamilton after qualifying P10…
08:30 , Kieran Jackson
“It is what it is.
“Conditions were great, nice and cool. It’s been really nice all weekend.
“I’m quite far back, see what I can do. Degradation is key.”
Despondent interview from Hamilton….
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff:
08:18 , Kieran Jackson
“We just need winter times, we need Silverstone and Spa in the rain. Our car comes alive when there’s a lack of grip and it’s cold.
“We just need to next year have a base which functions at all kinds of track. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.
“Leclerc was the quickest on the long runs yesterday, it’s about making sure the tyres don’t grain.”
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Starting grid for the race
08:04 , Kieran Jackson
1. George Russell
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Pierre Gasly
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Max Verstappen
6. Lando Norris
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Oscar Piastri
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Lewis Hamilton
11. Esteban Ocon
12. Kevin Magnussen
13. Zhou Guanyu
14. Franco Colapinto
15. Liam Lawson
16. Sergio Perez
17. Fernando Alonso
18. Alex Albon
19. Lance Stroll
20. Valtteri Bottas*
*Bottas has a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Pierre Gasly after finishing P3…
07:53 , Kieran Jackson
“It’s unbelievable, we didn’t think we could do that. An incredible lap, especially around this track. A lot of adrenaline and excitement. Really happy.
“I was getting cold in the car, I just wanted to get going. That last lap was the one that mattered. It felt great, great period for the team after the double podium in Brazil.”
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Carlos Sainz after finishing second…
07:46 , Kieran Jackson
“It was a tight quali. Closer to pole than what I was expecting, very happy. We’re in a good position for tomorrow.
“Tomorrow, we could be fighting at the front. We have the chance to go for the win, I feel like today Mercedes were very quick at switching those tyres on. Tomorrow is a clean sheet, new start.
“We need wins to beat McLaren, they have a big gap in the championship.”
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell after claiming pole…
07:38 , Kieran Jackson
“It feels incredible to be back on pole. I knew it would be on that last Q3 lap, there was a moment where I thought we wouldn’t make the flag. So happy! We have to do some deep diving as to why we’re so quick this weekend, it’s been a big surprise.
“Ultimately, you have to put it on the table sometimes! To get pole position is incredible but we need to return it with some big points.”
TOP-10 IN LAS VEGAS GP QUALIFYING
07:30 , Kieran Jackson
1. George Russell
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Pierre Gasly
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Max Verstappen
6. Lando Norris
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Oscar Piastri
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Lewis Hamilton
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell clips the wall!
07:18 , Kieran Jackson
Russell clips the wall at turn 5. His Mercedes looks to be OK though…
2:00 to go. Who will be on pole in Vegas?!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell on provisional pole!
07:16 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell the quickest out of the first set of laps with a 1:32:811, two-tenths quicker than Carlos Sainz in third!
3-10: Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton locked up ahead of the long straight, and bailed out! He’ll only have one more shot then!
Russell: “I want to be at the back, that was too early I think, track is going to be ramping.”
4:00 to go.
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Q3 underway!
07:12 , Kieran Jackson
Barrier repaired, track clean – and we can get underway with Q3!
10 drivers involved: Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton, Russell, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Tsunoda
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: FIA update…
07:07 , Kieran Jackson
“Q3 will start at 7:09am (GMT).”
A few minutes then!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: FIA STATEMENT…
07:00 , Kieran Jackson
“There’s a lot of debris on track and some potential barrier repairs needed, the circuit operations team are currently working on this.”
No word yet on a Q3 start time…
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Sergio Perez after his Q1 elimination
06:55 , Kieran Jackson
“I definitely wanted some more, it turned out to be quite a disappointing day.
“The racepace looked a lot more competitive so looking forward to it.”
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Q3 delayed!
06:51 , Kieran Jackson
There’s a lot of debris on track after that Colapinto crash, which is slowly being lowered onto the truck!
But it’s in pieces. Oh, what a nightmare for Williams!
Q3 is delayed. It’s not just the track which needs to be cleaned up, but the barrier probably needs fixing after Colapinto’s big impact!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Colapinto crash
06:45 , Kieran Jackson
The medical car was automatically deployed with Colapinto’s crash over 25G.
He looks OK and is out of the car all fine, but he must be despondent given he’s chasing a seat at Red Bull for next year! Could that make a difference?
Anyhow, the Williams team have some work to do overnight I’m afraid!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Colapinto crashes!
06:43 , Kieran Jackson
Franco Colapinto’s Williams is smashed up! He’s in the wall!
Another accident for Williams, what a nightmare!
He clipped the wall at turn 15 and went in very heavy into the wall!
Bottom-five and out in Q2 (11-15): Ocon, Magnussen, Zhou, Colapinto, Lawson
Norris squeezes through in P9. Top-3: Hamilton, Sainz, Russell
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell now quickest
06:37 , Kieran Jackson
All the frontrunners, you’d say, occupy the top-seven at the moment – though Lando Norris is far from safe in P7!
Top-3: Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc
Current bottom-five (11-15): Gasly, Colapinto, Ocon, Lawson, Zhou
3:00 to go. Will there be any shock eliminations in these closing minutes?
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Lewis Hamilton quickest early on
06:33 , Kieran Jackson
Hamilton tops the timesheet, with Piastri second and Verstappen third.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Ocon, Lawson, Zhou, Leclerc, Sainz
Ferrari drivers yet to set a time. 7:00 to go! Drivers still struggling for grip!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Q2 underway!
06:27 , Kieran Jackson
Time for the second stage of qualifying then!
15 mins, the ten quickest drivers will progress to Q3!
Will we have any shocks?!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Sergio Perez is out!
06:22 , Kieran Jackson
Perez has not made it!
Perez: “Unbelievable, it just doesn’t get any better.”
He misses out by seven-hundredths to RB’s Yuki Tsunoda!
Both Aston Martin cars out too!
Bottom-five (16-20) and out in Q1: Perez, Alonso, Albon, Bottas, Stroll
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Sergio Perez now in the bottom-five
06:17 , Kieran Jackson
Perez has some work to do here, he’s only 18th-quickest!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Bottas, Colapinto, Perez, Lawson, Stroll
And Stroll has made it out on track! It’s busy out there, with all 20 cars on track!
2:00 to go…
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell goes fastest!
06:15 , Kieran Jackson
Top-3: Russell, Piastri, Sainz
All the big-hitters look safe, aside from Sergio Perez in P13!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Bottas, Ocon, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Stroll
Stroll is still in the garage after his engine blew in FP3 – will we see the Aston Martin today?
4:00 to go…
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Oscar Piastri quickest early on
06:08 , Kieran Jackson
Piastri ahead of Norris and Hamilton in the top-three, but a lot of drivers simply focusing on getting their tyres warm at this stage!
10 minutes to go. And this track will evolve as more rubber gets laid down…
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Q1 underway!
06:03 , Kieran Jackson
Here we go then with qualifying in Vegas!
18 minutes where we will lose the slowest five drivers for the rest of qualifying.
This should be exciting!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Qualifying coming right up!
05:55 , Kieran Jackson
Pole position could be anyone’s in Vegas, it seems!
Mercedes were the quickest in practice but can Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull challenge the impressively quick Silver Arrows?
Qualifying coming up in five minutes!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell quickest in third practice
05:48 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes topped every practice session – who saw that coming!
Top-10:
1. George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:33.570
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.215
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.348
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.438
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.567
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.771
7. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.837
8. Franco Colapinto (Williams) +1.153
9. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1.313
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1.335
F1 in talks over 11th team for 2026 season after Andretti rejection
05:30 , Kieran Jackson
Formula One is reportedly in talks with General Motors about an 11th team joining the grid in 2026.
F1 rejected Andretti’s bid in partnership with GM earlier this year, but did say a new offer for 2028 would be considered.
Yet Sky Sports News understands that, with former boss Michael Andretti out of the picture, a GM entry led by businessman Dan Towriss – the majority shareholder of Andretti Global – is being considered for an entry into the sport as early as 2026.
F1 in talks over 11th team for 2026 season after Andretti rejection
How can Max Verstappen win the 2024 title?
05:01 , Kieran Jackson
There are now just 86 points available across the next three races in Vegas, Qatar (including the final sprint race of the season) and Abu Dhabi.
By the end of the weekend in Vegas, there will be just 60 points left to claim.
That means that if Verstappen simply finishes above Norris in Vegas, he will be crowned the 2024 champion. The Dutchman would also seal the title if both drivers fail to score a point.
Verstappen will also win the 2024 title if Norris does not outscore the Red Bull driver by more than two points.
As a result, Verstappen will be world champion in Sin City if:
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If Norris is second and he finishes third with the fastest lap
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If Norris is third and he finishes fourth with the fastest lap
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If Norris is fourth without the fastest lap and he finishes fifth
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If Norris is fifth without the fastest lap and he finishes sixth
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If Norris is sixth without the fastest lap and he finishes seventh
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If Norris is seventh without the fastest lap and he finishes eighth
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If Norris is eighth without the fastest lap and he finishes ninth
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If Norris is ninth without the fastest lap or lower irrespective of where he finishes
Exclusive: Lewis Hamilton will have ‘weird’ statistic on his mind ahead of Ferrari move, says Sky F1 expert
04:00 , Kieran Jackson
Karun Chandhok believes Lewis Hamilton will have his poor qualifying record “weighing on his mind” ahead of his blockbuster move to Ferrari next year.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the season after 12 years to join the Scuderia in 2025.
Despite winning two races this year – at Silverstone and Spa – Hamilton is on track to record his lowest-ever championship position. He is seventh in the drivers’ standings ahead of this weekend’s race in Las Vegas.
Full piece below:
Hamilton will have ‘weird’ statistic on his mind ahead of Ferrari, says F1 expert
Lando Norris makes stark admission after ‘defining moment’ in F1 title race
03:00 , Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris said he was left feeling demoralised for a week after seeing the door virtually slammed shut on his bid for world championship glory.
Norris heads into this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix 62 points adrift of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, with only 86 points remaining across the final three rounds.
Verstappen will take his fourth consecutive title if he outscores Norris on the Strip following the Dutchman’s stunning comeback drive from 17th to first at a rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
Norris started from pole position but crossed the line a disappointing sixth.
Full quotes below:
Lando Norris makes stark admission after ‘defining moment’ in F1 title race
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