Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has taken the pole at the much-hyped Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 race after topping the qualifying rounds on Saturday morning. Leclerc produced a stellar performance at the all-new Strip Circuit to beat his teammate Carlos Sainz and rival Max Verstappen.
Formula 1 has returned to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982 and it started with big controversy during FP1. Sainz's car crashed with a water valve cover which led to the cancellation of the first practice session on Friday evening. Then fans were forced to leave the grandstand just minutes before the FP2 causing strong reactions from the community across the globe.
But the remaining two practice sessions followed with no controversy where Leclerc kept boosting his Ferrari to win FP2. Leclerc followed the momentum in the qualifying on Saturday morning as he recorded a 1:32.726 finish to take the pole. Sainz and Verstappen finished behind Leclerc with the latter making an excellent comeback after an average racing in practice sessions.
It also turned out a sensational qualifying session for Williams' drivers Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant who took P6 and P7 on the grid. Alpine's French driver Pierre Gasly had a memorable weekend at a new circuit where he managed to take fourth place.
Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had to settle for 11th place as he dropped out of Q2. In-form MacLaren's Lando Norris narrowly missed out on the Q2 session to take the 16th place while his teammate Oscar Piastri will be starting the main race from the 19th.
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023 Qualifying Results:
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:32.726
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 1:32.770
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) - 1:33.104
- George Russell (Mercedez) - 1:33.112
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine Renault) - 1:33.239
- Alexander Albon (Williams) - 1:33.323
- Logan Sargeant (Williams) - 1:33.513
- Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - 1:33.525
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 1:33.537
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1:33.555
