Leclerc on pole of Las Vegas GP ahead of Sainz and Verstappen
18th November 2023Charles Leclerc took pole position for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will move up to second due to Carlos Sainz’s 10-place grid penalty.
Ferrari had exceptional pace over the weekend which provided their Monegasque driver with his fifth pole position of the season as his teammate, Sainz, completed the front row for the team.
However, the Spaniard will be demoted down 10 places as a result of his incoming grid penalty for an extra power unit component which was outside his allowance.
This means all the drivers below will be lifted by a single place until Sainz settles into his grid position, in 12th. Verstappen’s third-place qualifying position will be brought up to the front row, in second, with Leclerc as Russell now completes the top three.
Gasly will take fourth place for the Grand Prix, alongside the two Williams of Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant who will occupy fifth and sixth. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will round out the top nine respectively.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were absent in Q3 after the two drivers were shockingly eliminated in Q2. As a result of Sainz’s grid penalty, it means Hamilton will start in 10th while Perez takes 11th.
Behind now 12th-placed Sainz, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Riccardo will keep the Spaniard company in 13th, 14th and 15th respectively.
Although the McLarens’ showed some potential going into the weekend, the Woking-based outfit will have a lot of work to do in the Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start the Las Vegas race in 16th and 19th respectively.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Zhou Guanyu split the two McLarens in 17th and 18th as Yuki Tsunoda completes the field of 20 drivers, at the back of the order.
That’s all for the article; Leclerc on pole of Las Vegas GP ahead of Sainz and Verstappen!
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Russell leads Piastri and Sargeant in FP3 of Las Vegas GP
- Leclerc tops Las Vegas GP FP2 as fans are kicked out
- Carlos Sainz suffers 10-place grid penalty for Las Vegas GP
- Las Vegas GP: Leclerc on top of bitesize FP1 as a drain cover fails
- Red Bull reveal the ‘Neon Bull’ ahead of Las Vegas GP
- Lia Block will represent Williams Racing in F1 Academy in 2024
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or on our website!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
