Verstappen: Everyone behaved sensibly or was just afraid
Max Verstappen qualified second in Las Vegas. At the press conference the Red Bull Racing driver shared his impressions of the session and talked about what he expects in Sunday’s race.
Question: Max, how difficult was it to drive the car in those conditions in qualifying?
Max Verstappen: It was very slippery, like driving on ice. To be honest, I didn’t like it at all. Yes, I like driving on a wet track, but this was too much for me.
You had to be very careful. To be honest, I’m surprised there were so few incidents in qualifying. Everyone behaved very sensibly or were just scared. Either way.
We were more competitive on wets than on intermediates. But putting together a clean lap was very difficult. Rivals were constantly going off track, yellow flags were appearing, I was locking up the tyres or spinning a full 360 — all of that happened.
Max Verstappen qualified second in Las Vegas. At the press conference the Red Bull Racing driver shared his impressions of the session and talked about what he expects in Sunday’s race.
Question: Max, how difficult was it to drive the car in those conditions in qualifying?
Max Verstappen: It was very slippery, like driving on ice. To be honest, I didn’t like it at all. Yes, I like driving on a wet track, but this was too much for me.
You had to be very careful. To be honest, I’m surprised there were so few incidents in qualifying. Everyone behaved very sensibly or were just scared. Either way.
We were more competitive on wets than on intermediates. But putting together a clean lap was very difficult. Rivals were constantly going off track, yellow flags were appearing, I was locking up the tyres or spinning a full 360 — all of that happened.
On the first day of the weekend in Las Vegas, the racers ran on an almost dry track, qualifying was held in the rain, but no precipitation is expected on race day.
For the first time in Las Vegas, the racers will head out for the warm-up lap so early — at 8:00 p.m. local time. The forecast calls for about 15°C at that hour with overcast skies and a moderate westerly wind. The chance of precipitation is 5%.
For the first time in Las Vegas, the racers will head out for the warm-up lap so early — at 8:00 p.m. local time. The forecast calls for about 15°C at that hour with overcast skies and a moderate westerly wind. The chance of precipitation is 5%.
The FIA confirmed a power unit change on Yuki Tsunoda's car under parc fermé conditions.
Taking advantage of Yuki having qualified 19th, Red Bull Racing decided to change his car's power unit. He received his sixth internal combustion engine, sixth turbocharger, sixth MGU‑H and sixth MGU‑K, and his ninth exhaust system.
Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pit lane in today's race.
Taking advantage of Yuki having qualified 19th, Red Bull Racing decided to change his car's power unit. He received his sixth internal combustion engine, sixth turbocharger, sixth MGU‑H and sixth MGU‑K, and his ninth exhaust system.
Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pit lane in today's race.
Max Verstappen will start second in Las Vegas and hopes to fight for the win...
Max Verstappen: "It's very cold in Las Vegas, and the asphalt is different from the surface at other tracks, so working with the tires requires a different approach.
In practice we weren't able to properly work on long runs because of the red flags, so we still have a lot of questions before the race. We'll see how the tires and the car behave, and whether we can execute the planned strategy.
It doesn't matter to me who starts alongside. I'll try to do everything I can, and if there's an opportunity to get ahead at the start, I'll take it. I'm not really thinking about the championship situation and am focused on performing as well as possible in the race."
Max Verstappen: "It's very cold in Las Vegas, and the asphalt is different from the surface at other tracks, so working with the tires requires a different approach.
In practice we weren't able to properly work on long runs because of the red flags, so we still have a lot of questions before the race. We'll see how the tires and the car behave, and whether we can execute the planned strategy.
It doesn't matter to me who starts alongside. I'll try to do everything I can, and if there's an opportunity to get ahead at the start, I'll take it. I'm not really thinking about the championship situation and am focused on performing as well as possible in the race."
Carlos Sainz will start third in Las Vegas and hopes to make the podium…
Carlos Sainz: "Yesterday we had a very good qualifying and secured the best starting position we could have wished for.
Let's see what we can do today on a dry track. I hope I can hold the position, but there are several very fast cars starting behind me, so it will be very difficult."
Carlos Sainz: "Yesterday we had a very good qualifying and secured the best starting position we could have wished for.
Let's see what we can do today on a dry track. I hope I can hold the position, but there are several very fast cars starting behind me, so it will be very difficult."
Lando Norris will start in Las Vegas from pole and is aiming for victory…
Lando Norris: "Starting from pole is always good at any circuit. But yesterday's qualifying was definitely one of the toughest I can remember, and of course I'm glad I managed to set the fastest time. You don't get any points for that, though — for a while a satisfied smile did appear on my face. The points are up for grabs today, and I hope we can have a good race.
I'm not going to be overly cautious, I'm here to win. So I intend to fight for the best possible result, and I also want to enjoy it. I'll try to score as many points as I can — it's a long race, a lot can happen on track, and if I don't manage to win, then so be it. But I want to win and I intend to do everything in my power to make that happen."
Lando Norris: "Starting from pole is always good at any circuit. But yesterday's qualifying was definitely one of the toughest I can remember, and of course I'm glad I managed to set the fastest time. You don't get any points for that, though — for a while a satisfied smile did appear on my face. The points are up for grabs today, and I hope we can have a good race.
I'm not going to be overly cautious, I'm here to win. So I intend to fight for the best possible result, and I also want to enjoy it. I'll try to score as many points as I can — it's a long race, a lot can happen on track, and if I don't manage to win, then so be it. But I want to win and I intend to do everything in my power to make that happen."
Charles Leclerc will start ninth in Las Vegas and would like to fight back…
Charles Leclerc: "The first day of the weekend was very good for us, yesterday was very bad, but I hope we'll do well today.
I don't know what to expect from the race. On a dry track we should look better than in the wet, but yesterday we set the cars up for rain with high downforce, which isn't very good for today's race.
I have mixed feelings, but I'll go all-in, as people usually do in Vegas. Let's see where that leads."
Charles Leclerc: "The first day of the weekend was very good for us, yesterday was very bad, but I hope we'll do well today.
I don't know what to expect from the race. On a dry track we should look better than in the wet, but yesterday we set the cars up for rain with high downforce, which isn't very good for today's race.
I have mixed feelings, but I'll go all-in, as people usually do in Vegas. Let's see where that leads."
George Russell will start fourth in Las Vegas and would like to fight for a podium…
George Russell: "To be honest, I hope I can fight for the win, to win a second Las Vegas Grand Prix in a row. We'll certainly try to win, because on this track in cool conditions we should be quick, but, as always, we have to deal with many unknowns — that's what makes Formula 1 great! Lando and Max are starting ahead of me, and both have won races recently, but I hope we can fight with them for a podium. But to achieve that, we'll have to work hard. I really like this race, the atmosphere in this city is unbelievably cool, and when we speed past all those hotels lit up with lights, it's an insanely vivid experience! Formula 1 drivers are in a privileged position — we're racing in Las Vegas, doing what we love, and I'm thrilled by it all."
George Russell: "To be honest, I hope I can fight for the win, to win a second Las Vegas Grand Prix in a row. We'll certainly try to win, because on this track in cool conditions we should be quick, but, as always, we have to deal with many unknowns — that's what makes Formula 1 great! Lando and Max are starting ahead of me, and both have won races recently, but I hope we can fight with them for a podium. But to achieve that, we'll have to work hard. I really like this race, the atmosphere in this city is unbelievably cool, and when we speed past all those hotels lit up with lights, it's an insanely vivid experience! Formula 1 drivers are in a privileged position — we're racing in Las Vegas, doing what we love, and I'm thrilled by it all."
Fernando Alonso starts in Las Vegas pleased with his qualifying result and hopes to score points in the race...
Fernando Alonso: "Before qualifying I didn't have any particular expectations, because on this track it's very difficult to keep the car on the slicks. So I expected the worst in the rain.
However, in reality it wasn't that bad, and the grip was higher than I expected. I qualified seventh thanks to the rain, but we'll see what result we can achieve today."
Fernando Alonso: "Before qualifying I didn't have any particular expectations, because on this track it's very difficult to keep the car on the slicks. So I expected the worst in the rain.
However, in reality it wasn't that bad, and the grip was higher than I expected. I qualified seventh thanks to the rain, but we'll see what result we can achieve today."
Oscar Piastri will start fifth in Las Vegas and hopes to make up ground…
Oscar Piastri: "I was a bit unlucky in qualifying because of yellow flags, but that was out of my control. Of course you want to be fully in control, and at first the weekend was going quite well, but qualifying took place in difficult conditions and everyone had little information about how the cars would behave. Nevertheless, everything was going fairly well up to the final session…
We'll see what awaits us today, since the race takes place in completely different conditions. Besides, nobody managed to do a long run, so it's quite possible that the Las Vegas Grand Prix will play out in a rather interesting way.
My mindset is this: the main thing is to have a clean race and make it to the finish, but if the opportunity arises to score a lot of points through aggressive driving or through strategy, it should definitely be taken."
Oscar Piastri: "I was a bit unlucky in qualifying because of yellow flags, but that was out of my control. Of course you want to be fully in control, and at first the weekend was going quite well, but qualifying took place in difficult conditions and everyone had little information about how the cars would behave. Nevertheless, everything was going fairly well up to the final session…
We'll see what awaits us today, since the race takes place in completely different conditions. Besides, nobody managed to do a long run, so it's quite possible that the Las Vegas Grand Prix will play out in a rather interesting way.
My mindset is this: the main thing is to have a clean race and make it to the finish, but if the opportunity arises to score a lot of points through aggressive driving or through strategy, it should definitely be taken."
Lewis Hamilton had a poor qualifying session and hopes to make up for it in the race...
Lewis Hamilton: "Time will tell what we can achieve starting from the back row. I think the car was working quite well in practice, but no one did long runs, so it's a kind of new situation for everyone, especially since yesterday's rain washed a layer of rubber off the asphalt.
It will be interesting to see how we'll all warm the tyres, how to manage their wear, and what strategies everyone will use. We'll do everything we can, but we'll have to solve some very difficult problems. Yesterday we were just unlucky because of the rain, but that's life! So today a lot of cars will be starting ahead of me, and it's going to be a long race.
A year ago I managed to finish second after starting from tenth. Fighting your way forward from such a far-back starting position isn't much fun, but I'll try to do everything possible."
Lewis Hamilton: "Time will tell what we can achieve starting from the back row. I think the car was working quite well in practice, but no one did long runs, so it's a kind of new situation for everyone, especially since yesterday's rain washed a layer of rubber off the asphalt.
It will be interesting to see how we'll all warm the tyres, how to manage their wear, and what strategies everyone will use. We'll do everything we can, but we'll have to solve some very difficult problems. Yesterday we were just unlucky because of the rain, but that's life! So today a lot of cars will be starting ahead of me, and it's going to be a long race.
A year ago I managed to finish second after starting from tenth. Fighting your way forward from such a far-back starting position isn't much fun, but I'll try to do everything possible."
1. Lando Norris
McLaren
1:47.934
2. Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:48.257
+ 0.323
3. Carlos Sainz
Williams
1:48.296
+ 0.362
4. George Russell
Mercedes
1:48.803
+ 0.869
5. Oscar Piastri
McLaren
1:48.961
+ 1.027
6. Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
1:49.062
+ 1.128
7. Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
1:49.466
+ 1.532
8. Isack Hadjar
Racing Bulls
1:49.554
+ 1.620
9. Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:49.872
+ 1.938
10. Pierre Gasly
Alpine
1:51.540
+ 3.606
11. Nico Hulkenberg
Sauber
1:52.781
12. Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:52.850
13. Esteban Ocon
Haas
1:52.987
14. Oliver Bearman
Haas
1:53.094
15. Franco Colapinto
Alpine
1:53.683
16. Alex Albon
Williams
1:56.220
17. Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
1:56.314
18. Gabriel Bortoleto
Sauber
1:56.674
19. Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
1:57.115
Start from the pit lane
Yuki Tsunoda
Red Bull
1:56.798
penalized for breaching parc fermé rules
McLaren
1:47.934
2. Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:48.257
+ 0.323
3. Carlos Sainz
Williams
1:48.296
+ 0.362
4. George Russell
Mercedes
1:48.803
+ 0.869
5. Oscar Piastri
McLaren
1:48.961
+ 1.027
6. Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
1:49.062
+ 1.128
7. Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
1:49.466
+ 1.532
8. Isack Hadjar
Racing Bulls
1:49.554
+ 1.620
9. Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
1:49.872
+ 1.938
10. Pierre Gasly
Alpine
1:51.540
+ 3.606
11. Nico Hulkenberg
Sauber
1:52.781
12. Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
1:52.850
13. Esteban Ocon
Haas
1:52.987
14. Oliver Bearman
Haas
1:53.094
15. Franco Colapinto
Alpine
1:53.683
16. Alex Albon
Williams
1:56.220
17. Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
1:56.314
18. Gabriel Bortoleto
Sauber
1:56.674
19. Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
1:57.115
Start from the pit lane
Yuki Tsunoda
Red Bull
1:56.798
penalized for breaching parc fermé rules
Las Vegas Grand Prix: Verstappen - Norris - Russell
Dark. Dry. Air +17…16°C, track +18…16°C
The 2025 weekend in Las Vegas turned out to be more racing than glamorous. Two years ago Verstappen said the Vegas race is 99% show and 1% sport. Since then the proportions have changed.
Previously, to suit European broadcasts all sessions in Vegas were held at night, but Liberty Media backtracked and this year shifted the schedule two hours earlier. Effectively, it became a repeat of the Australian GP timetable.
In practice it became clear that last year's Mercedes dominance would not be repeated. On Friday (Thursday local time, but below — Moscow time) Leclerc and Norris led, Russell set the fastest lap on Saturday morning, and qualifying turned out to be very unusual.
At the start of qualifying it was raining; everyone expected many crashes and red flags on the waterlogged street track, but there were no incidents.
Dark. Dry. Air +17…16°C, track +18…16°C
The 2025 weekend in Las Vegas turned out to be more racing than glamorous. Two years ago Verstappen said the Vegas race is 99% show and 1% sport. Since then the proportions have changed.
Previously, to suit European broadcasts all sessions in Vegas were held at night, but Liberty Media backtracked and this year shifted the schedule two hours earlier. Effectively, it became a repeat of the Australian GP timetable.
In practice it became clear that last year's Mercedes dominance would not be repeated. On Friday (Thursday local time, but below — Moscow time) Leclerc and Norris led, Russell set the fastest lap on Saturday morning, and qualifying turned out to be very unusual.
At the start of qualifying it was raining; everyone expected many crashes and red flags on the waterlogged street track, but there were no incidents.
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Lando Norris: Max was faster today.
The outcome of the Las Vegas race was decided at the start, when in the battle with Max Verstappen Lando Norris went off the track and lost a position. After the finish the McLaren driver admitted that he had made a mistake...
Lando Norris (2nd): "I let Max win. (laughs) I let him go past, gave him the chance to have a good race!
Actually, I just braked too late — that was my mistake. At the first corner you need to act decisively, but I was too decisive. It cost me the win, but that happens sometimes. Not my best job, but when a rival beats you by 20 seconds, it means he simply managed it better, that his car was quicker.
I had a decent race, ran at a good pace, but Max was faster. Second place is a good result, I scored important points and I'm not too upset. I have to congratulate Max and Red Bull, they performed brilliantly, and now we'll prepare for the next round.
The race was interesting.
The outcome of the Las Vegas race was decided at the start, when in the battle with Max Verstappen Lando Norris went off the track and lost a position. After the finish the McLaren driver admitted that he had made a mistake...
Lando Norris (2nd): "I let Max win. (laughs) I let him go past, gave him the chance to have a good race!
Actually, I just braked too late — that was my mistake. At the first corner you need to act decisively, but I was too decisive. It cost me the win, but that happens sometimes. Not my best job, but when a rival beats you by 20 seconds, it means he simply managed it better, that his car was quicker.
I had a decent race, ran at a good pace, but Max was faster. Second place is a good result, I scored important points and I'm not too upset. I have to congratulate Max and Red Bull, they performed brilliantly, and now we'll prepare for the next round.
The race was interesting.
Russell: I wasn't sure the tires would last until the finish.
George Russell made it onto the podium in Las Vegas, finishing third. The Mercedes driver said he feared the set of tyres wouldn't hold up until the finish.
His teammate Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, but after a 5‑second penalty added for a false start he dropped to fifth in the classification.
George Russell (3rd): “When Max came out of the pits right in front of me, I thought I had a chance. He had cold tyres, and I attacked with everything I had.
I damaged the tyres, and from that moment I kept saying over the radio that I wasn't sure this set would last until the finish.
It was really tough for me. Not my best race, so a podium was probably the best I could do today.”
Kimi Antonelli (5th): “I had a very strong pace today, especially in the last ten laps.
George Russell made it onto the podium in Las Vegas, finishing third. The Mercedes driver said he feared the set of tyres wouldn't hold up until the finish.
His teammate Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, but after a 5‑second penalty added for a false start he dropped to fifth in the classification.
George Russell (3rd): “When Max came out of the pits right in front of me, I thought I had a chance. He had cold tyres, and I attacked with everything I had.
I damaged the tyres, and from that moment I kept saying over the radio that I wasn't sure this set would last until the finish.
It was really tough for me. Not my best race, so a podium was probably the best I could do today.”
Kimi Antonelli (5th): “I had a very strong pace today, especially in the last ten laps.
Verstappen: Everything was under control, I could attack
Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix — for him it was vitally important to remain among the title contenders. And the four-time world champion handled the task brilliantly...
Max Verstappen (1st): "It was a good race! Before the start we didn't know how the tyres would behave, and even during the race it was clear that everyone was trying to find the right rhythm and figure out how hard they could attack, especially in the first stint.
But everything worked out quite well, although we've had it tougher in this race before. Usually at this track our car hasn't worked best with the tyres, but it seems that today everything was under control and I could attack more aggressively.
Because of that the pace was a bit higher, I could stay out longer, so we split the race into two halves, and that definitely helped us.
Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix — for him it was vitally important to remain among the title contenders. And the four-time world champion handled the task brilliantly...
Max Verstappen (1st): "It was a good race! Before the start we didn't know how the tyres would behave, and even during the race it was clear that everyone was trying to find the right rhythm and figure out how hard they could attack, especially in the first stint.
But everything worked out quite well, although we've had it tougher in this race before. Usually at this track our car hasn't worked best with the tyres, but it seems that today everything was under control and I could attack more aggressively.
Because of that the pace was a bit higher, I could stay out longer, so we split the race into two halves, and that definitely helped us.
The stewards of the Las Vegas Grand Prix reviewed the collision between Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll at the start of the race. The Brazilian Sauber driver was late on the brakes before the first corner and, with his wheels locked, struck the Aston Martin driver. As a result of the contact, both retired from the race. The stewards' decision stated that Bortoleto should have received a 10-second penalty, but since he retired from the race the penalty was replaced with another — a five-place grid drop for the next race in Qatar. In addition, Gabriel received two penalty points, which were his first in Formula 1. One penalty point was also given to Alex Albon for a collision with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 14. The Williams driver now has five penalty points within a 12-month period.