Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying: Carlos Sainz fumes over grid penalty as Charles Leclerc takes pole position
He had to choose his words carefully, but Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz couldn’t contain his fury after being bumped from the top 10 on the Las Vegas grid - despite being second-fastest in qualifying.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start from pole position in Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix after posting the fastest time in Friday qualifying.
Leclerc finished ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz but with the Spaniard having a ten-place grid penalty imposed after Thursday’s practice, world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start second.
Mercedes’ George Russell will be in third place on the grid alongside Alpine’s French driver Pierre Gasly.
There was little to choose between the two Ferrari drivers with Leclerc, who topped all three segments, posting a fastest lap of 1:32.726 and Sainz just 0.044 off the pace.
Sainz received his 10-place grid drop after his team were forced to make repairs to his car after the chaotic first practice - and he was furious over the penalty.
Sainz’s car hit a loose drain cover and suffered damage and the team had to change a host of power unit components in order for the Spaniard to continue.
But with Sainz using his third energy store of the season, one more than is allowed by regulations, he was handed the penalty.
“The thing speaks for itself,” he said.
“There was clearly a safety issue for the track. The safety issue destroyed my car.
“My mechanics had to invest five hours in putting together a completely new car, and on top of that we get a 10-place grid penalty for something we had nothing to do with.”
Three-time world champion Verstappen pulled out of his final lap but will back himself to once again overcome Leclerc on race-day.
“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,” said the Dutchman.
“I hope tomorrow in the race we are good on the tyres again and can work our way forward,” he added.
Leclerc had mixed feelings after his run in the final qualifying segment. “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,” he said.
“Now it’s full focus to try and put everything together for the race. Normally, that’s where we lack most performance so I hope we can put it all together and win here,” he said.
After the embarrassing start to the new Vegas event, when Thursday’s opening practice was abandoned after nine minutes due to loose drain covers on the track, fans finally got to see some action on the new street track.
The second practice session had been held in front of empty stands and did not finish until 4am in the morning local time but the crowd were more than happy to see F1’s stars battle for grid position at midnight.
Powering down the famous ‘strip’ past landmark hotels and cornering around the striking new illuminated ‘sphere’, there were no signs of major problems with the surface.
Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were eliminated after Q1 and they were followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes after Q2.
‘LOOK LIKE CLOWNS’: MAX VERSTAPPEN SLAMS LAS VEGAS SHOW
World champion Max Verstappen declared he felt “like a clown” during the flashy opening ceremony for the Las Vegas Grand Prix as he made his feelings about the show around Formula 1’s ultra-hyped event clear.
Labelling the Las Vegas race weekend “Ninety-nine per cent show and one per cent sporting event”, Verstappen said he had not been looking forward to the off-track theatrics surrounding the event in F1’s return to Sin City.
The three-time world champion made his pointed comments after an extravagant opening ceremony for the Las Vegas race featuring musical acts, including Kylie Minogue, Thirty Seconds to Mars, John Legend and Keith Urban, a drone show and fireworks.
The F1 drivers also played a part in the ceremony, emerging from large platforms along the pit straight as they were presented to the crowd.
Speaking after the ceremony, Verstappen said he did not enjoy being a part of the off-track entertainment.
“For me you can all skip these things,” Verstappen told reporters when he was asked his thoughts on the opening ceremony.
“It’s not about the singer, it’s just standing up there, you look like a clown.”
Pressed on how much of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was a show, Verstappen said the race was just “one per cent sporting event”.
“Not a lot of emotions to be honest. I just like to always focus on the performance side of things,” Verstappen added.
“I don’t like all the things around it. I know, of course, in some places they are part of it, but let’s say it’s not in my interest.
“I’m looking forward to try to do the best I can, but I’m not looking forward to this (the show).”
F1 is making its return to Las Vegas for the first time since the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1982 on a street circuit taking in the legendary Las Vegas strip against the backdrop of some of the world’s most well-known hotels and casinos.
But Verstappen said he was not much of a fan of the circuit either, saying it was “not very interesting”.
“It’s just not many corners, to be honest,” Verstappen said.
“It will also depend on how grippy it is. It doesn’t look like it has a lot of grip. But we’ll go with the flow.
“I don’t think it’s that exciting, that’s the only thing.”
The third event on the F1 calendar in the United States alongside Texas and Miami, there has been a massive investment from the sport’s owners, Liberty Media, in the Las Vegas event it hopes to become a showpiece in the championship.
Verstappen understood the
“You can look at it two ways, business side or sport side, so I, of course, understand their side of it as well, but I’m just voicing my opinion on the performance side of things,” Verstappen said.
“We just go with it. I mean, they decide what they do, right?
“I would do the same if I was the owner, I wouldn’t listen to the drivers. It’s my sport, I do with it what I want if that would be the case.
“I mean, I guess they (Liberty Media) still make money if I like it or not, so it’s not up to me.
“But I’m also not going to fake it, I just always voice my opinion in positive things and negative things.
“That’s just how I am. And some like a show a bit more. I don’t like it at all, I grew up on the performance side of things and that’s how I see it as well.
“So for me, I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.”
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Originally published as Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying: Carlos Sainz fumes over grid penalty as Charles Leclerc takes pole position
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