Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur came to a positive conclusion after qualifying in Las Vegas. The Frenchman knows: The GP stars didn’t have an easy time following the times on the road course.
The Ferrari team celebrated a pole in Las Vegas last year, but Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen won the race. This year, George Russell can start the race from the best starting position after a strong lap on the road course, with Carlos Sainz trying to take the lead.
Last year’s pole sitter Charles Leclerc has to fight from fourth on the grid this time. And there is a simple reason for this, as Fred Vasseur explains to “F1TV”: “We put a lot of effort into improving our race pace last year. And because everything has its downsides, this meant that we had to accept some compromises in qualifying performance .
“But that’s a good thing, because points are awarded in the race. And 2nd and 4th starting position is exactly the same as a good starting position. Last year we had a sorry but in the end Max won the race. “We want to win the race this year,” added the Red team boss angrily.
And Vasseur defended the form of Leclerc, who did not make mistakes at that important moment: “I think everyone made mistakes today because those were very bad conditions with low temperatures and almost no grip. The most important thing is still to come and I think there will be many opportunities to take. If I’m not mistaken, Las Vegas was a very tricky GP last year. It means anything is still possible.”
Qualifying, Las Vegas
01. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, 1:32,312 minutes
02. Carlos Sainz (L), Ferrari, 1:32.410
03. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, 1:32,664
04. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:32,783
05. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:32,797
06. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, 1:33.008
07. Yuki Tsunoda (J), Racing Bulls, 1:33,029
08. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, 1:33.033
09. Nico Hulkenberg (D), Haas, 1:33.062
10. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, 1:48,106
11. Stephen Ocon (F), Alpine, 1:33.221
12. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, 1:33.297
13. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Sauber, 1:33,566
14. Franco Colapinto (RA), Williams, 1:34.749
15. Liam Lawson (NZ), Racing Bulls, 1:34,257
16. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, 1:34,155
17. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, 1:34.258
18. Alex Albon (T), Williams, 1:34,425
19. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Sauber, 1:34.430
20. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, 1:34,484
