This session is live. You are not logged in, so new updates will not appear automatically. For automatic updates, log in here or register a free RaceFans account here.
Franco Colapinto is due to start today’s race despite the huge crash which ended his participation in qualifying. Williams have repaired his FW46, the latest in a series of extensive and expensive rebuilds the team have undertaken this year, and he passed a pre race medical inspection. However the FIA confirmed that he will have to start the race from the pit lane due to some of the parts that were replaced under Parc ferme conditions. Here’s the updated Las Vegas Grand Prix starting grid, with Liam Lawson now in the 14th place Colapinto was due to start from.
Sergio Perez failing to progress beyond Q1 can’t really be called a surprise as yesterday was his sixth disappointment in the first round this year. Astonishingly, he has as many Q1 eliminations as his team mate plus the six drivers from Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes combined.
Championship contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris share the third row of the grid. If they finish in that order Verstappen will clinch his fourth consecutive world title. But even if he doesn’t do it today he’s virtually guaranteed to do so over the remaining races.
Ferrari were widely tipped to be the team to beat and have the best combined starting positions with second and fourth. However that means both of their drivers start off-line where the grip may prove even worse.
Mercedes’ pace has been the other big surprise of the weekend so far. The W15 clicked immediately with the combination of a low-grip circuit, long straights and short radius corners. George Russell took pole position and Lewis Hamilton should have been much closer to him but made two separate mistakes on his flying laps in Q3. If he just replicated his session-topping time from Q2 that would have been good enough for third place, but as it is he starts mid pack.
There’s no shortage of surprises on the grid for today’s race. First among them has to be Pierre Gasly’s remarkable effort which yielded alpines best starting position of the season so far, third place, one spot higher than his team mate managed at the last round in Brazil.
The 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming up next.
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…