Formula 1: Verstappen advantage: faster than Norris in Las Vegas qualifying

In what could be the decisive Formula 1 race of the season, leader Max Verstappen and pursuer Lando Norris come very close at the start. Verstappen was 0.211 seconds faster in the Red Bull in qualifying in Las Vegas than Norris in the McLaren, but he still only starts from fifth place – and therefore from the third row of the grid, right next to his pursuer, who starts the race in sixth place. If the Dutchman keeps the Brit behind him in the race (Sunday 7 a.m. CET/Sky and RTL), he will be world champion for the fourth time.

“If you look at the whole weekend, it’s ok. I think that was the maximum,” said Verstappen. In the training session the day before he was two seconds behind the leaders, and it wasn’t until the last test that things started to pick up. Norris looked less stressed in all sessions, but seemed anything but happy with his starting position: “We struggled all weekend. We quickly reached our limit. It wasn’t a great day for us.”

Toto Wolff not entirely happy after Russell took pole position

George Russell took pole position for the third-to-last race of the season in a Mercedes in 1:32.312 minutes. “I had a lot of self-confidence. The pole position is great. But we had some good qualifications recently, we now have to convert that into a race win,” said the Brit. Teammate Lewis Hamilton made a driving mistake on the decisive lap and only finished tenth. “The car was really fast. But it’s also a bit bitter-sweet. We should actually have both cars in the first row,” said Mercedes sports director Toto Wolff.

Next to Russell, however, is Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly starts the race from third place, with Charles Leclerc starting next to him in the second Ferrari. “We have a chance of winning tomorrow, that’s the goal,” said Sainz. Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas starts the third-to-last race of the season from ninth place. “Not bad, but not outstanding either. It’s a shame that it wasn’t a little faster. We’re prepared for the race,” said Hülkenberg.

Marko: If Verstappen can win, he will want to win

The focus is on Verstappen and Norris. Before the race, Verstappen leads by 62 points. With a win, the 27-year-old would be confirmed as champion, and overall he cannot lose more than two points to his British pursuer in the McLaren. “The strategy should be aimed at finishing in a position where we win the World Cup, but if you know Max and he sees the chance to move forward, these tactical considerations are no longer crucial,” said Red -Bull advisor Helmut Marko. Team boss Christian Horner said: “I think he will keep an eye on Lando, but above all concentrate on his race.”

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez was eliminated in the first part of the qualification. Franco Colapinto caused the first long delay of the race weekend with an accident in the second section. It was the next expensive incident for Williams; the team had already had to extensively repair both vehicles in Brazil.