George Russell has secured pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, dominating qualifying on a weekend that has so far been a standout for Mercedes. After a perfect practice session on Friday evening, Russell carried that momentum into the late-night qualifying, which wrapped up after 11 p.m. local time.
The Briton posted a blistering lap time of 1:32.312, edging out Carlos Sainz by just 0.098 seconds to take the top spot. Alpine's Pierre Gasly completed the top three, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen rounding out the top five.
Russel on achieving pole
“It feels amazing to be on pole. I knew that if I put together a clean lap, it would be enough to secure a front-row start. We’ve had some strong qualifying sessions recently, but now it’s about converting that into a win," Russell said.
Where are other drivers poised
Russell’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton, had a rougher session, ending up 10th, over 15 seconds behind his pole-sitting teammate. Meanwhile, the other notable news of the grid was Valtteri Bottas, who qualified in 19th position. However, due to a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his allocation of Energy Store components, Bottas will drop behind Lance Stroll on the grid.
“The penalty is in accordance with Article 28.3, Each additional element carries a five-place grid penalty. Competitors have the right to appeal the decisions in accordance with the FIA International Sporting Code and Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits," the FIA confirmed.
As of now, Bottas' penalty remains the only one confirmed by the FIA.
Here’s the revised grid following the penalties:
1. George Russell - 1:32.312
2. Carlos Sainz (+0.098)
3. Pierre Gasly (+0.352)
4. Charles Leclerc (+0.471)
5. Max Verstappen (+0.485)
6. Lando Norris (+0.696)
7. Yuki Tsunoda (+0.717)
8. Oscar Piastri (+0.721)
9. Nico Hulkenberg (+0.750)
10. Lewis Hamilton (+15.794)
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:33.221
12. Kevin Magnussen - 1:33.297
13. Zhou Guanyu - 1:33.566
14. Franco Colapinto - 1:33.749
15. Liam Lawson - 1:34.257
16. Sergio Perez - 1:34.155
17. Fernando Alonso - 1:34.258
18. Alex Albon - 1:34.425
19. Lance Stroll - 1:34.484
20. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.430 (5-place ES penalty)
As the Grand Prix approaches, Russell’s pole position puts him in an excellent spot to challenge for the win, but he’ll need to fend off fierce competition from title contenders like Verstappen and Norris, who will start from the third row.
