Formula 1 will return to Las Vegas on Sunday with its first race in the Sin City since 1982, and it is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who will be in the best position to win it.
Leclerc captured the pole position during Friday’s qualifiers after posting the fastest lap time of 1:32.726. This will be Leclerc’s fifth pole position in the 2023 F1 season.
Speaking with reporters after the qualifiers, Leclerc said he wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance.
“To be starting from the 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,” Leclerc 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.”
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz finished second in qualifying but was handed a ten-place grid penalty, so he’ll be starting from No. 12. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who already secured the Formula One championship win for this season, will start second as a result.
American driver Logan Sargeant, who races for Williams, will start the race in front of the home fans sixth from the grid. This is Sargeant’s best result in qualifiers in what is his first season in Formula 1.
