Winners and losers from qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix

The two Mercedes drivers had mixed fortunes while McLaren are looking up at both of their rivals.

A quali session under the lights was taken by George Russell but he was not the only star on display.

Winners and losers from qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Winners

George Russell

Mercedes have often looked quick on day one but for George Russell, that pace continued into qualifying.

A P1 in FP3 was followed by Russell being there or there abouts in the opening two quali sessions but he took things up a gear in the all-important Q3.

A brush with the wall did not stop Russell as he took pole for the fourth time in his career.

Mercedes did not expect to be quick this weekend but they are and it’s Russell’s job now to hold onto the win.

Pierre Gasly

Where did that come from, Pierre?

No one would have had Gasly securing P3 in their predictions but for a team that scored a shock double podium last time out, maybe it is time we start expecting the unexpected.

Gasly’s lap was excellent but as always, the job is now tomorrow and trying to hold as many quicker cars back as he can.

Ferrari

They may not have got pole but Ferrari will feel happy with their quali result at a track they did not have great expectations for.

Ferrari are the only team in the top seven to have their drivers within two spaces of each other and they will be hoping to use their advantage to further close the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’.

Yuki Tsunoda

Having said in the build-up that he was happy to continue “destroying” the team-mates Red Bull gave him, it is a good thing Yuki Tsunoda backed it up with an excellent quali session.

Splitting the two McLarens is no easy feat and in doing so, he made it 4-0 over his latest team-mate Liam Lawson in qualifying.

More reaction from qualifying in Las Vegas

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Losers

Williams

If James Vowles could have written up a list of things he did not want to happen this weekend, an expensive crash would have been at the top in capital letters and underlined.

Having seen one driver go out in Q1, the last thing Vowles wanted to see next was the other car in pieces. Three wheels off and a real question of whether it will be ready in time for the grand prix.

That is if Colapinto is even ready. A 50G hit required a trip to the medical centre and Williams will be monitoring his health to see if he is fit to race.

Lewis Hamilton

A crucial mistake in his flying run shows how tight the margins are in F1 right now with Hamilton starting from 10th while Russell is on pole.

Hamilton looked a step behind his team-mate throughout Saturday so a pole may not have been achievable but a P10 will require more enthusiasm than he had last time out in Sao Paulo if it is going to be turned into a positive.

Sergio Perez

There is not much more you can say about Sergio Perez’s continued disappointment so perhaps this stat says it best:

Number of times Liam Lawson has qualified ahead of Sergio Perez in 2024: 3

Number of times Sergio Perez has qualified ahead of Liam Lawson in 2024: 1

The ruthless Red Bull of old would have dropped Perez long ago.

McLaren

That is one way to take the wind out of your sails. After Sao Paulo, McLaren needed a strong bounce back in Vegas but instead, Lando Norris has qualified behind Max Verstappen and both cars are behind the Ferraris.

It was going to take a miracle to not lose the Drivers’ Championship but if this qualifying translates into something similar in the race, McLaren will be in real danger of Ferrari pipping them come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

Read next: Las Vegas GP: George Russell storms to pole position after massive Colapinto crash