F1 Las Vegas GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying
Minute-by-minute updates for qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Formula 1 returns for its final leg of the season under the bright lights of Sin City for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton topped both of the opening practice sessions for Mercedes, with team-mate George Russell fastest in final practice.
As Max Verstappen aims to confirm a fourth drivers' title, who will take pole?
Qualifying for the Las Vegas GP starts at 6:00am GMT.
Live Standings
Summary
Live Text
The five drivers out in Q2 are:
Ocon, Magnussen, Zhou, Colapinto and Lawson.
This could be a lengthy delay given the damage, debris and the fact the concrete block has been moved and potentially compromised.
I'm afraid to say it's another trashed Williams.
Colapinto has clipped the wall on the inside of the penultimate corner, sending him into the wall on the outside of the track.
It's a huge impact and gladly, Colapinto walks away.
Magnussen goes ninth for Haas as Sainz jumps to second.
Gasly goes fourth and Tsunoda to eighth. But there's a huge incident on track...
That's Q2 done but drivers can complete their laps, which is what Russell does to consolidate first.
Piastri should be safe - he goes fourth, under two-tenths to Russell.
Verstappen and Norris are in the pits.
Oh my that was close between Sainz and Zhou at the end of the Strip as everyone queues for space.
The clock ticks towards zero, who will get into Q3?
Well, I was wrong.
He found plenty of time in the final sector - some three tenths - to move from seventh to fifth.
Norris has had a rather shaky first sector on his latest lap. Already half a second down after two sectors will not see him improve.
Just under four minutes to go and those who need a lap to get into Q3 begin to emerge.
Russell is on a mighty lap - into the 1m32s and followed by Hamilton to make it a Mercedes 1-2.
Leclerc crosses the line for third and Sainz only sixth.
Verstappen is pushing the Red Bull to its very edge to take as much potential as he can.
He is rewarded with the fastest time, albeit only 0.051s faster than Hamilton.
Sainz and Leclerc will be the last to set a time in the first part of this segment but the Spaniard rather botches turn one and immediately backs off.
Tsunoda goes sixth for RB, Magnussen P7 and Gasly P9.
Colapinto holds the final Q3 spot as it stands, with Ocon, Lawson and Zhou needing to find plenty of improvement.
Norris next for McLaren to go second, make that fourth as first Verstappen and then Piastri slot between Hamilton and his fellow Briton.
The top five now separated by 0.137s.
Hulkenberg blitzes that by finding seven-tenths on his sole Q1 effort, though Hamilton goes to the top on a 1m33.136s.
Colapinto and Zhou go fourth and fifth.
A 1m33.5s is four-tenths down on his Q1 best effort but is a decent benchmark to start for Russell.
It will be a double prep for most again, such is the difficulty of getting the tyres into a window.
Russell looks like he is pushing straight off the bat though...
Q2 is under way.
Verstappen is the first out on track.
That result means Perez has failed to reach Q2 for the sixth time this season.
Oh well, there's always the blackjack tables...
Bottas is the other driver out and will actually start last having taken a five-place penalty for the weekend.
That was a good performance by his team-mate Zhou to get into the second part of qualifying.
Stroll couldn't get the time he needed to get out of Q1 and will start last, while Albon had his last lap deleted.
Alonso also fails to get out of Q1 - a disaster for Aston Martin.
Colapinto goes ninth and Tsunoda 10th which shoves Perez into elimination.
Ouch.
Yellow flags briefly flashed on the timing screens but almost as quickly disappeared so hopefully nobody was hindered.
The chequered flag flies as Russell and Hamilton go first and second.
Less than a minute to go and Perez is out of kilter. He encounters a lot of traffic as drivers queue for space in the final sector and goes only 12th.
He's at risk.
Zhou goes 11th and Verstappen goes fastest overall, but team-mate Perez is down in 18th only.
Bottas, Colapinto, Perez and Lawson are those at risk now - as is Stroll who is ON TRACK! Stunning work from the Aston mechanics.
Gasly and Ocon improve into the top 10, as does Magnussen on his first lap.
He will recharge and go again after a cooldown lap.
The Haas drivers are now on track for the final stages of the session.
They occupy two of the elimination spots, with Stroll stuck in the pits and looking unlikely to make his way out.
Bottas and Ocon are in trouble too.
Leclerc's latest lap puts him second, with less than a tenth between the top three.
Hamilton improves to sixth, behind Verstappen, as Russell sets a 1m33.3s to go fastest overall.
Ferrari uses the tow to help Sainz jump up to second but Verstappen has gone fastest in the middle sector - although only into fourth.
This will be last across the line stuff. Five minutes to go.
McLaren's second laps keeps Piastri ahead of Norris and now Leclerc in third is half a second down.
Impressive.
Leclerc is into the 1m33s!
A great lap from the Monegasque puts him ahead of Piastri, but not for long...
We just await first efforts from the two Ferraris - which are both on track - both Haas drivers and Stroll.
The track is evolving though as Tsunoda and Alonso improve to fourth and fifth.
Verstappen is next to cross the line in his Red Bull - it's a lap good enough for fifth only.
That's three-tenths to Piastri but six-tenths up on Perez.
Piastri goes quickest with a 1m34.058s, 0.03s faster than Norris.
Mercedes can't respond, with Hamilton and Russell slotting into third and fourth.
Perez is next over the line but can only go fourth, splitting Tsunoda and Lawson.
The McLarens are flying though...
Gasly goes fastest now with a 1m34.509s, faster than Alonso and both RBs.
Ocon is fifth ahead of the two Williams drivers and then the Saubers.
By: Ewan Gale
