What the teams said – Qualifying in Las Vegas

McLaren

McLaren saw their cars prop up the order in FP3, with Piastri 19th and Norris 20th. That was thanks to twin issues on both cars, Norris suffering an electrical problem while Piastri’s car lost telemetry. Going into Qualifying somewhat on the back foot, Norris then excelled and looked in the mix from word go. Piastri had to work harder to escape Q1 and Q2, only making it into the top 10 by the skin of his teeth. Once into Q3, both cars looked competitive on the inters but it was Norris who nailed his final lap to grab yet another pole. Piastri had to abort his last run due to yellow flags and was only fifth.

Lando Norris, 1st, 1:47.934

“P1! Very pleased with the result from Quali today. Pole in such tricky conditions was definitely not easy, but that makes the result even better. We certainly weren't expecting this coming into the weekend, but we've definitely taken a step forward from last year and the confidence has been building as the weekend has gone on. Full focus now turns to the race and delivering another strong performance.”

Oscar Piastri, 5th, 1:48.961

"Tough end to the session with the Yellow Flag on the final lap. I felt like we had really good pace, so it's disappointing, but at least we can say we were fast. There should be a few overtaking opportunities tomorrow and it's Vegas, so anything can happen. Let's see what we can do."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

“First of all, let me acknowledge the general standard of driving in today's Qualifying session. Competing in such conditions, with a wet track and very low temperatures, on a tricky circuit like this, with a few interruptions, and putting on a show like tonight's demonstrates the calibre of this group of drivers.

“Lando can be very proud of his Pole position. He drove extraordinarily well throughout the session, adapting perfectly to the grip conditions that changed lap after lap. The result today is particularly significant because it comes on a track that has certainly not been kind to us in the past. It means that the preparation work we have done is paying off, well done to the team for their efforts.

“It is a shame for Oscar, who, without the Yellow Flags on his last flying lap in Q3, could probably have qualified third. However, Qualifying is only the first step this weekend - the points will be awarded tomorrow evening, and we are well aware that our opponents are very strong, especially on this track."

Red Bull

Tsunoda was pushing Verstappen hard in final practice, but come Qualifying, the Japanese racer struggled in the wet conditions and exited at the first time of asking. Verstappen looked exceptionally quick on the full wets, but admitted the car lacked slightly on the inters, which were bolted on in Q3. Nonetheless, he did enough to grab a spot on the front row, and is well placed to attack his McLaren rival for the win in Vegas.

Max Verstappen, 2nd, 1;48.257

”I think we executed Qualifying quite well today. The conditions weren’t fun, it was really slippery on the track and it felt like driving on ice. I love driving in the wet but this was too much and you had to be super careful. It was very low grip and you had to be consistent and make no mistakes, but you just trust your instinct and feeling within the car and need to trust what you are doing. Despite this, we maximised the potential of the car and we did everything as best we could, so that was all positive. Q1 and Q2 is always tricky to get right but we did well and in Q3 I think we just lacked a bit of grip to fight further up and we weren’t in contention for Pole. Second is good and the focus is, of course, on tomorrow and it will be about who can keep the tyres alive, which we haven’t been the best at. We will see how we perform on the Hard compound as we have no information on it yet. The biggest concern is making sure we have the race pace: it will be difficult but if we have the opportunity we will go for it."

Yuki Tsunoda, 19th, 1:56.798

”I just didn’t have any grip throughout the session, it felt like complete ice underneath me and I was wheel spinning. I knew it was weird, and I wasn’t sure what had happened with the tyre set but it felt very strange. Last time I used the extreme tyre it didn’t feel like that and I was super quick, this time I was three seconds off everyone else, so I didn’t understand. Clearly something wasn’t right and wasn’t working properly, I could feel that. Now I know my pressures were way off where they should have been, which explains the issues I had throughout Q1, but I did whatever I could in the circumstances. It’s tough and it’s a shame because up until Quali we have had amazing pace all weekend, probably the best pace I have had since joining the Team. I have to try tomorrow to get something out of the race."

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal

"Once again, Max had a very strong Qualifying and in super tricky conditions as well. He got into the right tempo in Q1 and Q2 on a very wet track and he was strong on the Inters in Q3 when it cleared up a little. He put himself in a position to fight for Pole, which we unfortunately missed out on tonight, but the front row is a still a very significant showing of the pace we have in the car. P2 certainly gives us something to play with tomorrow. With Yuki, it is on us. We made a big mistake with his tyre pressure which meant that he was out there with a setting that basically gave him no chance to be competitive, so we as a Team, apologise to him for that. This sort of thing should not happen, but it did, so the best we can do is learn from it and come back stronger. He's been in a really good rhythm all weekend, so it is painful to have taken his chance away. Tomorrow should make for an interesting race day."

Williams

Albon impressed throughout practice and looked the pick of the two Williams drivers. But he was the only one to properly crash in the treacherous Q1 conditions, losing control out of the corner to hit the walls with his front tyre. He did limp back to the pits, but exited in P16 and left the team a rebuild job with the suspension and floor likely taking on some damage.

That left Sainz to fly the flag for the team which he did brilliantly, making Q3 and once there nailing his last lap to grab a slot in the top three. But during Q2, he had run off track and rejoined in front of Stroll. The stewards had a look at that, but opted to take no further action, much to the relief of the Grove-based team.

Alex Albon, 16th, 1:56.220

"A frustrating qualifying result as we have been quick all weekend. The conditions were tricky out there and I was experiencing some random aquaplaning across different laps. The laps I was able to do in clean air I was happy with, but unfortunately, we never really got a clean lap without a yellow flag. There was a lot going on through the last few corners with various flags and to get to the line on time, and I had a snap and we ultimately got caught out. It is frustrating as we should’ve been in Q3 today as well. Hopefully it is dry tomorrow, but I’m confident that we have a good car and can fight back in the race."

Carlos Sainz, 3rd, 1:48.296

"Very happy after one of the trickiest qualifying’s of the year! From my first lap today, I’ve felt at home with the car. Every time I was closing in on my lap we were at the top of the field and I was enjoying myself out there in these conditions. Despite opening my last attempt a bit early, I knew I had a shot at pole and for a moment I thought I had it! But two very quick cars behind me were able to improve and edge us out. Still, P3 is an amazing result for the team and we have to feel proud of the job done. Our target for tomorrow will be to remain in position, whilst being conscious we have some very quick cars behind us and it’s easy to overtake here. We’ll make ourselves as wide as possible and give it our all. Vamos!"

James Vowles, Team Principal

"What a fantastic qualifying from Carlos – really, really impressive in quite difficult conditions. And yet it wasn't just one lap, he was able to put the car consistently in the top three throughout most of the sessions. Great work by the team, getting the car working across a range of slick, intermediate and extreme wet tyres this weekend and it bodes well for the race tomorrow whatever conditions come our way. With Alex, it's bitterly disappointing because he has been quick all weekend. He made a small mistake but small mistakes get punished in Vegas. The incident could have been prevented with improved communications, and information from the team – we win and lose as a team and will come back stronger with Alex tomorrow. Looking forward to tomorrow’s race, clearly we can’t predict whether it’s going to rain or not but given our performance so far we look competitive across a range of conditions – I’m just looking forward to racing."

Mercedes

It was a mixed bag for Mercedes in Las Vegas. Both drivers looked quick and expected to challenge for the front rows if not pole. But Antonelli’s Qualifying ended early, the youngster unable to extract enough grip in the wet Q1 segment to move forward. Russell did make Q3 and flirted with P1 throughout Qualifying, but when it came to it, he just did not have the pace for the front row. Starting fourth with a tow off the line is still a handy place to be for last year’s winner here.

George Russell, 4th, 1;48.803

"Unfortunately I suffered a power steering issue midway through Q3 and that cost us a shot at the front row. Looking at the pace of Lando (Norris) in the McLaren, I’m not convinced that we had the pace to match him and take pole, but we could definitely have been best of the rest. That is particularly true as we had been fastest in Q1 and Q2, so we had good speed in the car.

"Starting P4 isn’t the ideal place to be lining up but we’ve seen in the first two editions of the race here that plenty can happen. I think we can fight with those ahead and be in the mix for the podium. The weather is expected to be dry tomorrow and warmer than we’ve seen over Thursday and Friday. That will definitely have an effect and adds another unknown to what is likely to be an intriguing Grand Prix."

Kimi Antonelli, 17th, 1:56.314

"That was a tough qualifying session. It was incredibly tricky for everyone out there with very little grip. The circuit was improving lap-by-lap and it was crucial to just keep pushing to maintain temperature in the tyres. My last lap of Q1 was looking strong but I locked up at the end of the straight and that was my session done. It is a big shame as our pace has been good all weekend and we could have been fighting at the front.

"Whilst it puts us on the back foot for Saturday’s race, we looked to have good pace in practice on Thursday. Hopefully we can put that to use and gain as many positions as possible. We’re in a tight battle for P2 in the Constructors’ and several of our competitors are also out of position. I’m still confident we can fight for decent points and that is certainly going to be our aim."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"We entered qualifying with plenty of promise but unfortunately couldn’t turn that into as strong a result as our pace suggested. The conditions were difficult for all, and we certainly weren’t the only ones to get caught out, but it is nevertheless frustrating.

"The final lap of each segment of qualifying, as the track improved, was key. Whilst George improved and went quickest in Q1, Kimi suffered a lock-up on that critical effort and his session was over. George then used the same set of Wet tyres he ran in that first 18 minutes to go fastest in Q2 and we looked set to be in the fight for pole. Unfortunately, just as he was getting into the critical final efforts on the Intermediate tyre, he suffered a power steering issue and that cost him a shot at pole. Whilst he was able to continue, he could only manage P4 which was a valiant effort in the circumstances.

"Despite not starting from the best positions, we know there will be plenty of opportunities tomorrow. There are lots of unknowns given the Hard tyre has been seen very little so far, nobody has had the chance to complete much long running, and the track will have another reset overnight. Our pace in the mini long run we completed in FP1 on Thursday looked competitive so we can be hopeful of moving forward and fighting for good points and a decent result."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"We had the pace today to do much better than P4 and P17. The final practice session went well; George finished top of the time sheets and Kimi would have been close behind had it not been for a yellow flag.

"Going into qualifying it was much wetter than we had seen in FP3, and it was not possible to get the Intermediates into the working window in the early sessions. That caused us to bring both cars straight back in to take the full Wet. For George the pace was good, although it was difficult to get a clean lap in with yellow and the tricky conditions. Kimi had similar challenges with the yellow flags and was on a lap good enough to progress at the end of the first session when he locked at turn 12 and went straight on. He's obviously disappointed but it was his first wet qualifying and his first ever use of the extreme Wet tyres; he had very good pace in the dry so we're hoping to still score points tomorrow.

"George continued to show good pace in the second session and his final lap put him back on top. Unfortunately, we weren't able to repeat that when it really mattered. We had an issue with his power steering half way through the session where it was providing inconsistent levels of assistance. Fearing that the car wouldn't make it to the finish, George continued to push on the penultimate lap, which meant the tyres were too hot starting his final attempt. A frustrating day but we've hopefully got a car with good pace in the dry and both our drivers are looking to move forward tomorrow."

Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls were the only team bar McLaren to get both cars into Q3, with Hadjar and Lawson impressing through the difficult conditions. In the end it was the Kiwi racer who grabbed the intra-team honours with sixth, two places above his team mate. While both look on for points, perhaps most importantly it continues Lawson’s recent run of good form, as he attempts to convince the Red Bull management that he deserves a place on the grid for next season.

Isack Hadjar, 8th, 1:49.554

"I think in today’s Qualifying we did everything perfectly in terms of timings and outings. I felt comfortable straight away in the wet from Q1 and was able to bring the performance into Q2. It’s just very frustrating finishing P8 as my last attempt in Q3 was fast. I think I was the last driver on track starting the lap and the track evolution was simply at its peak, but unfortunately the yellow flag came out and it didn't work in our favour. I don’t know what to expect tomorrow race-pace wise as we haven’t done any long runs in the practices', so we'll need to use previous data to build our strategy and race to get those important points!”

Liam Lawson, 6th, 1:49.062

"It was a wild Qualifying session today but I'm very happy with P6. For us to be using an extreme tyre throughout two of the sessions shows just how slippery it was, as we rarely use this tyre. The car has been really fast, but we still missed the last lap by a small margin. I think we had more speed in the car and the opportunity to be higher up, however to have both cars in Q3 is a great result.”

Claudio Balestri, Chief Engineer - Vehicle Performance

“This morning wasn't an easy FP3 session with the track neither completely wet nor completely dry, and in Quali, we found conditions difficult as well. We decided to start on the Inter tyres on both cars, similar to the majority of others, but grip was very low, which was evident as soon as we came out of the pitlane. For these reasons we decided to change our plan by pitting immediately for the Wets and maximize the track time. In Q2 we elected to follow a similar plan, with the Wet tyre being the best for the low level of grip and stay out the whole session; the two drivers were able to set very competitive lap times and we ended up P2 with Isack and P6 with Liam. The track improved with the rain stopping, so we went onto the Inters for the last session, which was the right call. Both drivers did a really good job improving lap on lap, finishing in P6 and P8. Now we need switch our focus to the race where the target is to get in the points.”

Aston Martin

Aston Martin called Q1 correctly, one of just two teams to come straight out on the full wets. Both drivers made Q2 comfortably, and once there looked very quick. Stroll was impressing hugely, the faster of the duo but then the team’s strategy calls went awry. The Canadian was put onto inters late in Q2, the only car to run that compound. Reportedly it was a 'collective decision', but it was the wrong one and he exited. Alonso did make Q3, and grabbed a very decent P7 on the grid.

Fernando Alonso, 7th, 1:49.466

"I think P7 was unthinkable two hours ago and it was more fun than what I thought it was going to be out there tonight. I thought we could be in for a very long evening with a lot of red flags, but I'm happy with P7 in the end. The team did a good job to make sure we were on the right tyres and we maximised the session. The wet conditions have helped our performance, so let's see what we can do tomorrow."

Lance Stroll, 12th, 1:52.850

"We were leading in Q1 and at the beginning of Q2 for some time and then made a collective decision to go on Intermediates. We thought it was going to be dry enough and we tried it but it wasn't the right call. We planned for three push laps but could only do two in the end and missed an opportunity. It's a shame because I think we could've fought for a strong result today."

Andy Cowell, Team Principal

"Incredibly challenging conditions in Las Vegas this evening with cold temperatures and initially heavy rain creating a difficult session. The team's decision to run on Wets from the start of Q1 helped Lance and Fernando perform well in the very wet conditions, ending the session in third and fourth place respectively. In Q2 with the track drying we felt there was a chance to try Intermediates with Lance, but it proved a lap too soon and cost him a place in Q3. We need to review our 'decision tree' and timings in these situations and learn for the future. With Fernando starting from P7 and Lance in P12 there's every chance to score some points tomorrow, which will be the target."

Ferrari

Both Ferrari cars looked quick in practice, but come Qualifying it all went wrong for the team in red. First Hamilton ran wide and hit a cone, which seemed to lodge under his front wing. Whether that remained there or not is unknown, but he had no grip and unusually aborted his final run despite making it across the line in time amid confusion over whether he could continue. All in all, he wound up last in conditions he normally excels in. As for Leclerc, he did make Q3 just about despite several adventures off track and one moment where his car stalled. But once there, he lacked pace on the inters and could only qualify ninth.

Charles Leclerc, 9th, 1;49.872

"It was a really tricky qualifying today, with low grip on the wet track. Our car struggles in these conditions and it’s really difficult to find a way to maintain a large enough window of good grip to fight with our rivals. It’s frustrating, but we will continue doing everything we can to find a solution.

"The race should be dry tomorrow, so the conditions will be different again. We had quite a high downforce setup for today, so this could impact our straight-line speed in the race. We will make the most of it and I hope we can have a good start and move forward during the race."

Lewis Hamilton, 20th, 1;57.115

"That was a really disappointing qualifying session. After FP3 I felt we had good pace in the car, but the wet conditions didn’t work in our favour today. Visibility was poor and we were unfortunate to be hampered by a few yellow flags, which meant I couldn’t put a proper lap together in my last three attempts. We’ll regroup tonight and aim to move back into the points tomorrow."

Alpine

Alpine managed to get both cars out of Q1, with their drivers handling the difficult conditions well. Colapinto pulled off the save of the day through the chicane, holding his car in a straight line despite it trying to go in both directions at once. But it was Gasly who made Q3, the Frenchman continuing his strong Qualifying form at this track. On the inters his pace faded, but P10 is still a strong result for a team rooted to the bottom of the Championship.

Pierre Gasly, 10th, 1:51.540

“That was such an enjoyable Qualifying session and it is another Q3 appearance for us, which I am very pleased with. The conditions were extremely tough, one of the hardest I've ever experienced in Formula One, with the rain and cold temperatures. We seemed to be fast in the wet straight away and we were up there lap after lap right from Q1. We were competitive on the Extreme Wets but in Q3, on the Intermediates, we seemed to struggle to bring the tyres up to temperature, so we have some things to review there. Tomorrow we are going into the unknown a little bit after limited high fuel running in Practice yesterday. That will make things interesting and we will give it our all to be in the points and hopefully put right what has happened over the last two years for me at this track.”

Franco Colapinto, 15th, 1:53.683

“Since yesterday we made a lot of improvements, and I felt like we were in the mix in those conditions. I think if it wasn't for the moment I had on my final push lap, we could have been close to getting into Q3. I was on a pretty good lap, up on my delta time, until I touched the kerb and lost the car at Turn 15. I had a massive slide and almost lost the car and managed to keep it out the wall thankfully, but I lost a lot of time. I think we were improving a lot, it was just tricky conditions out there. The amount of rain and standing water was a lot, but the grip with the asphalt and white lines, which you couldn't really touch, meant it maybe felt worse. But it was the same for everyone out there. Hopefully it remains dry tomorrow, and we can improve on our position and race towards the points.”

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director

“Today's Qualifying really underlines the high-quality skill level of all drivers in Formula One at the moment. The conditions were extremely tough with the rainfall during the session matched with the cold temperatures and the slippery road surfaces on the lap, which made driving particularly treacherous. Credit to both Pierre and Franco for doing a really solid job throughout, especially to advance through Q1 when the conditions were most extreme. Pierre managed to push on from there and into Q3 for the second consecutive race, such is his level of confidence at the moment and his ability to adapt to low grip conditions. As a team there are plenty of things for us to reflect on and improve for next time and we will line up on tomorrow's grid in a competitive position with our eyes firmly fixed on securing some more points.”

Kick Sauber

Not to be for Kick Sauber, despite starting Qualifying well. Along with Aston Martin, they were the only team to start Q1 on the full wets and thus steal a march on their rivals. But Bortoleto just could not find the speed to make Q2. Hulkenberg did and was hanging on to P10 at the end of the segment, pipped by Gasly once the chequered flag fell. He starts 11th, which is not a bad grid slot here although it did make Kick Sauber just one of two teams not to get a car into Q3 in Vegas.

Nico Hulkenberg, 11th, 1:52.781

“It was one of the most challenging qualifying sessions I’ve experienced - especially in Q1, with some incredibly low grip conditions. Vegas is already tricky by itself, with its low-downforce setup and slippery tarmac, and once the rain came, it became even more unpredictable.

“I think we managed the session well overall, but Q3 just slipped through our fingers at the very end. I had an issue in the last corner on my final lap and lost some time, which was frustrating because it would’ve been close. Still, no major mistakes, and we kept it clean - that was important today.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, 18th, 1:56.674

“I was actually feeling quite comfortable at the beginning of the session, and the pace felt good, but in those last two or three laps it kind of slipped away from me. This was effectively my first qualifying session fully in the wet: visibility was really tough, everything felt pretty intense and I struggled with grip. We will need to analyse the reason why everything fell off as Q1 progressed, because I just couldn’t extract what I felt I could in those final laps. Tomorrow won't be an easy job, starting towards the back, but we’ll aim to make the most of every chance in the race.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal

“Track conditions were tricky in qualifying today, but I’m pleased with the team’s performance as starting both cars on extreme wet tyres was the right call and set us up well. Nico was consistent throughout Q1 and progressed to Q2 where, despite a solid session, he just missed the cut for Q3 and ended up in a respectable P11.

“For Gabi, this was his first qualifying at this circuit and his first time running on the extreme wet tyres. He did a good job considering the conditions, built his pace sensibly but didn't manage to deliver a fully clean lap. Overall, there’s plenty to be positive about and we’re looking ahead to the race tomorrow.”

Haas

Bearman had a lucky escape late in Q1, as he locked up and aquaplaned into the barriers. Luckily he had managed to scrub enough speed to go in slowly and only broke his front wing, which the team were able to replace between Q1 and Q2. Thus, Haas had both cars on track in Q2, but they could go no further as Bearman’s run of four straight Q3 appearances came to an end.

Esteban Ocon, 13th, 1:52.987

“I don’t think we really made the most out of it, which is clearly disappointing as we had much more pace. I had to back off in the penultimate lap, and when I went to push again, I lost tyre temperature and locked up going into Turn 1. I didn’t improve in my last two laps, but we clearly had Q3 pace which is disappointing, but it’s positive as the conditions out there were very hard and we showed we’re still there. We’ve been struggling lately, but that session still felt good, and although we didn’t get the maximum out of it, we still looked very competitive.”

Oliver Bearman, 14th, 1:53.094

“It was nice to get into Q2 as I made a mistake in Q1, but I got away with it because I had a good lap on the board from earlier on. For me, the fact that we were so far off in Q2 can be only down to one thing, which is the tyres. I did every lap pushing, and in Q1 that was working well as it was a much wetter track, and every degree was helping. In Q2, I think it got to the point where the tyres started to overheat a bit. I’m disappointed over our qualifying as there was more to get out there, but I’m still excited for the race as there’s every possibility for a good result tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“It was a very tricky qualifying session. This track, with low temperatures and low grip when it’s wet, is obviously very challenging. Operationally, I think we did a good job – which is a positive. In Q1, when there was lots of standing water, we seemed to be competitive, but in Q2, when the water levels were lower and we were still on the full-wet tyres, our competitiveness dropped. I think tomorrow starting in P13 and P14, but in dry conditions at this circuit, we still have a chance. We’ll do our best to get both cars into the points.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

“One would never have expected to witness a wet qualifying in the middle of a desert, but Las Vegas continues to surprise us. This afternoon’s free practice provided information that would prove useful for the teams, as over 30% of the laps were run on rain tyres, but clearly it was not enough to have an immediate understanding of what would be the best compound with which to start qualifying. After a first run on Intermediates, it soon became clear that conditions required the use of Full Wets. The extreme rain tyres ensured the drivers had good grip for their first flying laps before the track began to dry, allowing for a switch to the Intermediates. The crossover time between these and the Full Wets established in today’s Free Practice is important information if the same conditions are repeated for the start of the Grand Prix. Looking at possible strategies, obviously we have to assume it will be a dry race, basing the options on drastically reduced available data.

“Given the level of graining encountered on the Soft, this compound seems hardly suitable for an effective race strategy tomorrow. On paper, the quickest combination is based on a one-stop: start on the Medium, then switch to the Hard between laps 20 and 26, to then go for a long final stint. Fitting the yellow-banded tyres for the grid also opens up other competitive options. Teams that have kept two sets of Hards could attempt a two-stopper, Medium-Hard-Hard, switching between laps 12 and 18 and again between laps 27 and 33. A similar alternative for the few left with two sets of the yellow-banded tyres would be to run two initial stints on Medium and then Hard, with a final return to the Medium between laps 32 and 38. Use of the Soft would inevitably involve two stops. The way to make the most out of the qualifying compound could be at the start, until a window between laps 8 and 14 to change onto Mediums for a middle stint before returning to the softest compound, fitting it between laps 34 and 40.”