F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying times and results as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wins pole

F1’s highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix is back on track after a disastrous opening day had to be suspended to fix a loose manhole cover, as Charles Leclerc claimed pole in qualifying.

The first session of F1’s newest event had only been going for eight minutes before Carlos Sainz’s car stopped on the lengthy Vegas strip. Replays show his Ferrari car, at speeds of over 200mph, went over a loose drain cover before the Spaniard veered to the side and stopped the car due to substantial floor damage, and Ferrari were furious.

FP2 was delayed for more than two hours while the circuit was made safe, before the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Sainz topped the timings, with Max Verstappen only sixth. FP3 then saw Mercedes’ George Russell top the charts ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Pastri and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, with Ferrari way down the results after choosing to preserve their soft tyres.

But their true pace was revealed in qualifying as Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – who has a 10-place grid penalty after that FP1 incident – finished first and second, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell. But their teammates Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton suffered shock exits in Q2 and will start in the middle of the pack.

Follow live updates from the Las Vegas Grand Prix below and check the latest F1 odds and tips here.

Las Vegas GP – qualifying

• Weekend got off to disastrous start with abandoned FP1

• Ferrari duo quickest in FP2 but Carlos Sainz handed grid penalty

• Mercedes’ George Russell fastest in final practice session

• Lance Stroll hit with a five-place grid penalty

• Fight for pole is on as qualifying begins in Las Vegas

• Q1 result: Both McLarens eliminated in first session

• Breaking: Charles Leclerc takes Las Vegas Grand Prix pole!

• Las Vegas Grand Prix provisional grid in full

What Charles Leclerc needs to finally claim victory from pole in first Las Vegas Grand Prix

12:25 , Kieran Jackson

Amid the maelstrom swirling on the other side of the Ferrari garage in the last few days at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has been razor-sharp. Fastest in the sole practice session on Friday, the Monegasque is so often ice-cool on the tight, twisty street circuits that so regularly crop up now in Formula 1.

Such was his confidence – and previous qualifying form in similar conditions – Leclerc was actually favourite with the bookies for pole position ahead of Max Verstappen. The Ferrari man proved them right, sealing a Ferrari one-two with Carlos Sainz qualifying in second.

Unfortunately however, the Spaniard will not be starting alongside his team-mate for the inaugural Saturday night race. Sainz’s ridiculous 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his gearbox allocation – which only came about due to the FIA’s incompetence after manhole-gate on opening night – has wiped out Leclerc’s most helpful aid to win the 50-lap race. For those desperate for an engrossing battle at the front, not least F1 and LVGP chiefs, it is a bitter blow.

What Charles Leclerc needs to claim victory from pole in first Las Vegas Grand Prix

Max Verstappen: ‘Las Vegas is National League – Monaco is Champions League’

11:45 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen compared the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit to the “National League” after qualifying on Saturday – while Monaco is the Champions League.

The three-time world champion has been outspoken this week about the inaugural race on the Vegas strip, describing it as “99% show, 1% race.”

Full quotes below:

Verstappen criticises Vegas GP: ‘Monaco is Champions League, this is National League’

Las Vegas Grand Prix – what you need to know

11:15 , Lawrence Ostlere

Everything you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s race, from the grid to the start time:

F1 grid: Starting positions for Las Vegas Grand Prix

Max Verstappen: ‘Las Vegas is National League – Monaco is Champions League’

10:41 , Lawrence Ostlere

Max Verstappen compared the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit to the “National League” after qualifying on Saturday – while Monaco is the Champions League.

The three-time world champion has been outspoken this week about the inaugural race on the Vegas strip, describing it as “99% show, 1% race.”

After qualifying in third place in qualifying on Friday night – though he will start alongside pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in second as a result of Carlos Sainz’s penalty – the drivers were asked to compare a lap around the new circuit to other street tracks such as Singapore, Baku and Monaco.

Verstappen simply quipped: “Monaco is Champions League… this is National League.”

Full story:

Max Verstappen: ‘Las Vegas is National League – Monaco is Champions League’

Lando Norris on a hard night for McLaren

10:09 , Lawrence Ostlere

Lando Norris will start the race from 15th on the grid after a tough qualifying session saw both McLaren’s out in Q1.

“It’s not a surprise just because it’s very close and when you’re not quite comfortable and maybe one or two tenths off then it makes a difference. Two tenths was between me and five positions. If a couple things came together it could be like ‘not a bad day’.

“I’ve just been struggling with the car on this circuit. It’s painful we didn’t even get through to Q2. I don’t think we necessarily did anything wrong. Should we have maybe done a pit stop and put a new set of softs on? Potentially, but a tough decision to make in the middle of qualifying.

“We got up to speed quickly, I think both myself and Oscar got up to speed very quickly and extracted a lot out of the car early on whereas everyone else got quicker and quicker and built up to it a bit more which gave us the wrong perception early on in the session.”

A mixed night for Mercedes in Las Vegas

09:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

Lewis Hamilton has little to say after finishing 12th in qualifying. “Just not that great. The car just wasn’t working for me. It’s definitely difficult when you can’t even get through Q2 but it is what it is.”

George Russell, on the other hand, is happy with fourth in qualifying and third on the grid. “Charles is the big favourite [to win the race] but if there’s a chance, we’ll go for it.”

Toto Wolff can’t explain the difference between his two drivers. “Very difficult to understand,” he says.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner looking forward to ‘interesting race’

09:39 , Lawrence Ostlere

Was Christian Horner surprised with Ferrari’s pace?

“Not really, Ferrari are very quick over a lap, they work the tyre harder, so we expected that. Well done to Charles, it’s going to make an interesting race tomorrow. It’s a track you can definitely overtake on.”

On Sergio Perez, who was eliminated in Q2 after registering a very early time in the session and then watching the best track conditions from the pitlane. “We only took three sets of tyres into qualifying. He did the lap a little earlier and just missed out by a tenth.”

Williams hail ‘great achievement’ in Las Vegas

09:31 , Lawrence Ostlere

All smiles at Williams after that brilliant sixth (Alex Albon) and seventh (Logan Sargeant) qualifying result, which is a third-row lockout one Carlos Sainz’s 10-place grid penalty is taken into account. Here’s team principal James Vowles:

“We knew we would be quick here. To actually have both cars nicely in the top 10 and within six tenths of pole, that’s a great achievement. For Logan, this is a blank sheet for everyone because no one has been around here. Over the last four or five race weekends he’s really been building it into the weekend, no mistakes and building it.”

And here’s Alex Albon, speaking on Sky Sports:

“We have gone through the summer and a lot of hot tracks and we noticed we just get slower and slower. It hasn’t been easy though [here]. I had a crash in FP3, that kind of reset my confidence a little bit. I have been struggling with the braking here all weekend and this track is all about the braking.

“But bit-by-bit as we went through qualifying we were just fine tuning. It’s a cold track, it’s all about straight-line speed as well, so it was always going to be a good track for us.

Las Vegas Grand Prix grid

09:22 , Lawrence Ostlere

Sunday’s (or Saturday night’s, in Vegas) provisional grid looks like this:

1. Charles Leclerc

2. Max Verstappen

3. George Russell

4. Pierre Gasly

5. Alex Albon

6. Logan Sargeant

7. Valtteri Bottas

8. Kevin Magnussen

9. Fernando Alonso

10. Lewis Hamilton

11. Sergio Perez

12. Carlos Sainz*

13. Nico Hulkenberg

14. Daniel Ricciardo

15. Lando Norris

16. Esteban Ocon

17. Zhou Guanyu

18. Oscar Piastri

19. Lance Stroll**

20. Yuki Tsunoda

*Carlos Sainz received a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation

**Lance Stroll received a five-place grid penalty for overtaking under yellow flag conditions in third practice

Charles Leclerc 'disappointed’ despite pole

09:21 , Lawrence Ostlere

Charles Leclerc shows just how high his standards are with his reaction to that pole:

“I’m happy. To take the first pole in Las Vegas, it’s an incredible event. To be starting from pole is great. However, I’m a bit disappointed about my laps in Q3. I didn’t do a good enough job but it was enough for P1 and that’s all we need.”

Verstappen satisfied with front row on the grid

09:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here’s Max Verstappen, who has been a bit grumpy this week, let’s be honest, but seems happy with that qualifying result. He finished third and will start on the front row alongside Charles Leclerc after Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty.

“It’s quite cold out there, quite slippery,” Verstappen said. “Being on a street circuit you try to get as close as you can to the walls but that’s not always very straightforward. It was enjoyable out there. I think we maximised today. I think the whole weekend so far we have been lacking a bit of one lap performance and that was quite clear.

“I hope tomorrow in the race we are good on the tyres again and can work our way forward.”

F1 qualifying result – top 10

09:10 , Lawrence Ostlere

1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (10-place grid penalty)

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

Carlos Sainz to start from 12th on the grid

09:09 , Lawrence Ostlere

Carlos Sainz, remember, suffered the most brutal 10-place grid penalty after that incident in FP1 with the manhole cover, and he will start from 12th.

“It depends how the start goes, degrading on the tyres. The pace, it clearly looks we have it, I’d love to be fighting with Charles and Max for the win but unfortunately not.”

Breaking: Charles Leclerc takes Las Vegas Grand Prix pole!

09:03 , Lawrence Ostlere

Verstappen abondons his final flying lap! He’s third, as George Russell jumps up to fourth and Pierre Gasly grabs fifth. But no one can cope with Ferrari, and in particular Charles Leclerc.

A dominant qualifying win by the Frenchman!

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

09:01 , Lawrence Ostlere

Kevin Magnussen goes fourth, as Charles Leclerc sets a new fastest time! It’s 1:32.726, about three tenths clear of Sainz and Verstappen...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

09:00 , Lawrence Ostlere

One minute left as all 10 drivers either begin or prepare their final flying lap...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:59 , Lawrence Ostlere

Nine cars are out on the track as the clock ticks down, but Max Verstappen is last to come out of the pits, hoping for the best conditions at the very end of this session. Can he knock Charles Leclerc off pole?

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:55 , Lawrence Ostlere

Charles Leclerc goes quickest in the first part of this Q3 with a 1:33.021, not quite as quick as he was in Q2. Sainz is second, then Verstappen, Alonso, Gasly, Magnussen, Russell, Albon, Sargeant and Bottas.

Russell, though, is in the middle of a flying lap...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Q3 under way

08:52 , Lawrence Ostlere

So, the final shootout is under way! Can George Russell or Max Verstappen disrupt the Ferraris?

F1 qualifying LIVE – Q2 results

08:49 , Lawrence Ostlere

Lewis Hamilton says on race radio “I just couldn’t go faster”. A big blow for Mercedes, although George Russell was the best of the rest behind the flying Ferraris:

1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

3) George Russell, Mercedes

4) Pierre Gasly, Alpine

5) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

6) Alex Albon, Williams

7) Fernando Alonso, Alpine

8) Kevin Magnussen, Haas

9) Logan Sargeant, Williams

10) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

F1 qualifying LIVE – Q2 eliminations

08:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

11) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

12) Sergio Perez, Red Bull

13) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

14) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

15) Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri

Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez eliminated from Q2!

08:44 , Lawrence Ostlere

Look at this! Sergio Perez takes a huge gamble, deciding not to head back out after posting his early flying lap, and it backfires badly as the rest nudge him down the rankings and out of qualifying with their later times.

Lewis Hamilton meanwhile just cannot keep pace – did he make a mistake on that final lap? Either way, he’s out too!

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:40 , Lawrence Ostlere

The five at risk right of missing out on Q3 right now: Albon, Gasly, Sargeant, Stroll and Ricciardo. One minute to go...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:38 , Lawrence Ostlere

Charles Leclerc has just posted a RAPID flying lap registering 1:32.834. His Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz is closest to him, half a second down, ahead of Verstappen, Magnussen, Hamilton, Perez, Russell, Alonso and Hulkenberg.

But there’s plenty of time for all this to change. All 15 cars are out on the track with fresh soft tyres with three minutes to go...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:36 , Lawrence Ostlere

There could be more penalties handed out in Las Vegas: Hamilton, Russell, Albon, Zhou, Gasly, Bottas will face the stewards after qualifying for failing to follow the maximum out-lap time in Q1, while Stroll (who already has a five-place grid penalty) faces another investigation for failing to slow under yellow flags.

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:32 , Lawrence Ostlere

McLaren’s Zak Brown thought his drivers would struggle in Vegas because of their lack of speed through slow corners, but he still sounds a little shocked with that double elimination in Q1.

“Very disappointed. We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1. Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.”

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:29 , Lawrence Ostlere

So, 15 drivers left, fighting for 10 spots in Q3.

Q2 is under way, and once again Kevin Magnussen is first out on to the Vegas circuit.

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:28 , Lawrence Ostlere

After preserving their soft tyres in FP3 and falling into the middle of the pack, Ferrari’s true pace reveals itself in Q1 as they finish one-two at the top of the charts:

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:22 , Lawrence Ostlere

Q1 eliminations:

16) Lando Norris, McLaren

17) Esteban Ocon, Alpine

18) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo

19) Oscar Piastri, McLaren

20) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

He doesn’t! Piastri is out of Q1, having found himself only 17th after his flying lap. His McLaren teammate Lando Norris is under pressure too, in 15th – and Lance Stroll leaps ahead of him. Norris is out too.

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:17 , Lawrence Ostlere

With only three minutes left in Q1, the five drivers currently in danger of missing Q2 are Zhou, Stroll, Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Piastri, who will surely get out of this...

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:14 , Lawrence Ostlere

Lewis Hamilton’s first flying lap sends him third in the standings behind Sergio Perez and the man way out in front, by about half a second, Charles Leclerc (1:34.072). Although as I write, Verstappen jumps into second spot, just one tenth off Leclerc. Norris, Russell and Sainz and fifth, sixth and seventh in Q1.

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:12 , Lawrence Ostlere

Brad Pitt is in the, erm, pits, with a cabal of celebrities including Rod Stewart and Gordon Ramsay.

F1 qualifying LIVE – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:08 , Lawrence Ostlere

Charles Leclerc sets the early running in Q1 with a 1:34.898, ahead of Verstappen, Sargeant and Magnussen. The Mercedes were late out of the garage and will be two of the last to set times in this session.

F1 qualifying – Las Vegas Grand Prix

08:05 , Lawrence Ostlere

Q1 is under way! Kevin Magnussen is first out on the track and he will register the first flying lap.

Alex Albon’s Williams is ready for qualifying

08:00 , Lawrence Ostlere

Good news for Alex Albon – Williams have managed to put his car back together, without any major changes, after this shunt and he will be ready for qualifying, which starts any moment...

BREAKING: Lance Stroll receives a five-place grid penalty

07:53 , Kieran Jackson

The Aston Martin driver is penalised for overtaking under yellow flag conditions.

“The driver of Car 18 stated he had his ‘head down’ looking at his dash and was concentrating on the Ferrari ahead of him and missed the flag.”

George Russell tops FP3 ahead of qualifying

07:52 , Lawrence Ostlere

Then, this morning – or earlier this evening in Vegas – FP3 threw up an interesting set of results. George Russell topped the charts ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Pastri and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, with Ferrari way down the results after choosing to preserve their soft tyres.

So might Max Verstappen’s five-race winning streak be snapped in Sin City?

Ferrari duo top FP2 after chaotic night at Las Vegas Grand Prix

07:45 , Lawrence Ostlere

It was Ferrari who topped the timings in FP2, but only after a wild night which ended at 4am in Vegas, in front of empty stands:

Formula One bosses were facing up to one of the most embarrassing days in the sport’s recent history after practice for the much-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix was completed at 4am in an empty arena.

After months of hype leading up to the £500m race, the first running was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock.

Second practice was then delayed by two and a half hours, and played out in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local laws.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the order, with Max Verstappen sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth, but the event - billed by F1 chiefs as the greatest show on earth – dramatically unravelled more than seven hours previously.

Ferrari duo top FP2 after chaotic night at Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans: ‘It happens’

07:40 , Lawrence Ostlere

Here’s the latest on the chaos of the opening session, which had to be abandoned due when Carlos Sainz snagged a loose manhole cover within 10 minutes of FP1 beginning, from our man on the ground in Las Vegas, Kieran Jackson:

Formula 1 failed to apologise or issue refunds to fans despite the fact they witnessed just eight minutes of cars on track before being told to leave on a farcical opening day in Las Vegas.

As opposed to a refund, all single-day ticket holders have instead been offered a $200 voucher for the Las Vegas Grand Prix official shop.

Those with full weekend, three-day tickets won’t be reimbursed in any way for Thursday night’s lost action.

A lengthy statement released on Friday from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm was also notable for the lack of an apology to spectators as well.

‘It happens’: F1 fail to apologise or issue refunds to Las Vegas fans

Las Vegas Grand Prix – F1 qualifying

07:37 , Lawrence Ostlere

Welcome along to live coverage of qualifying from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which starts at 8am GMT (midnight local time).