Las Vegas GP Qualifying: Charles Leclerc takes pole position as Ferrari seal dominant one-two

Charles Leclerc led Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari one-two at the Las Vegas Grand Prix; world champion Max Verstappen third but will start on front row as Sainz faces grid penalty; watch the Las Vegas GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 6am on Sunday, with build-up from 4.30am

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Charles Leclerc is on pole after a brilliant performance in Las Vegas, team-mate Carlos Sainz is second in Q3 but will drop down to 12th on the grid due to his penalty

Charles Leclerc took pole position on Formula 1’s return to Las Vegas by leading a dominant Ferrari one-two from Carlos Sainz in qualifying.

After a chaotic start to F1’s return to Vegas saw major disruption on Thursday, a smooth Friday on the spectacular circuit that has brought the sport to the city’s stunning Strip for the first time ended with Leclerc edging out Sainz by 0.044s.

World champion Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, but will start alongside Leclerc on the front row with Sainz being controversially demoted by a 10-place grid penalty incurred for exceeding his allowance of car parts after an incident caused by a faulty water valve cover during first practice.

While Ferrari showed stunning pace throughout the session to dominate, the contest for the places behind them was hugely unpredictable.

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Both McLaren’s are out and Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon come close to a tangle in a chaotic Q1

George Russell was fourth for Mercedes but his team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were knocked out in Q2 after McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had exited in Q1.

Those surprise eliminations opened opportunities for others as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took fifth ahead of Williams duo Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, with the American’s seventh place the best qualifying result of his rookie F1 campaign.

Valtteri Bottas claimed eighth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, while Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin.

More to follow…

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Improvements from both the Williams drivers and Gasly on their respective final laps see Hamilton and Perez knocked out in Q2

Las Vegas GP Qualifying result: Top 10
1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari*
3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
6) Alex Albon, Williams
7) Logan Sargeant, Williams
8) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
9) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
10) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

*Sainz will be demoted by 10-place grid penalty

When to watch the Las Vegas GP live on Sky Sports

Sunday November 19

• 4:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Las Vegas GP build-up (also on Sky Showcase)
• 6am: THE LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX (also on Sky Showcase)
• 8am: Chequered Flag: Las Vegas GP reaction (also on Sky Showcase)
• 9am: Ted’s Notebook (also on Sky Showcase)

Get ready for the big one: Formula 1 in Las Vegas! See drivers race down the Strip, and past landmarks like Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, on F1’s newest street track. Watch the Las Vegas GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with lights out on Sunday at 6am. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW