LIVE: Qualifying shock as big names tumble, Piastri OUT and Max ...

Ferrari claimed a qualifying one-two with Charles Leclerc to start the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix on pole after a dramatic session that saw big names tumble early, including both McLaren drivers.

Both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were eliminated after Q1 in what Sky Sports’ David Croft described as a “massive disappointment” for McLaren.

McLaren boss Zak Brown had said he was expecting the team to struggle on the Nevada street circuit, although he admitted Saturday’s qualifying result still left him “very disappointed”.

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Oscar Piastri is out after Q1. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)Source: AFP

“We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1,” Brown told Sky Sports 1.

“Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.”

Norris said going out in Q1 wasn’t necessarily a “surprise” given how close the rest of the field was but did concede it was “painful” to not even get through to Q2.

“I don’t think we necessarily did anything wrong. Should we have maybe done a pit stop and put a new set of softs on? Potentially, but a tough decision to make in the middle of qualifying,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“We got up to speed quickly, I think both myself and Oscar got up to speed very quickly and extracted a lot out of the car early on whereas everyone else got quicker and quicker and built up to it a bit more which gave us the wrong perception early on in the session.”

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were also eliminated in Q2 while Williams were big winners with a double Q3 for just the second time this season.

Alex Albon qualified in sixth while Logan Sargeant secured a career-best P7 finish.

“We knew we would be quick here,” Williams team principal James Vowles told Sky Sports F1.

“To actually have both cars nicely in the top 10 and within six tenths of pole, that’s a great achievement.

“For Logan, this is a blank sheet for everyone because no one has been around here. Over the last four or five race weekends he’s really been building it into the weekend, no mistakes and building it.”

Williams driver Logan Sargeant races during the qualifying session. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)Source: AFP

Max Verstappen came in third but starts on the front row with Carlos Sainz, who finished second, dropping back 10 places after copping a grid penalty that left the Ferrari star fuming.

George Russell (fourth), Pierre Gasly (fifth), Valtteri Bottas (eighth), Kevin Magnussen (ninth) and Fernando Alonso (10th) rounded out the top-10 but will all start one position higher due to Sainz’s penalty.

“Still disappointed with yesterday [and the penalty],” Sainz told Sky Sports post-qualifying.

“Not going to lie, still on a very bad mood and trying not to show it too much. But it is what it is.”

Earlier in qualifying, Verstappen and Esteban Ocon butted heads yet again, this time over the Red Bull star driving “like crazy” into Turn 1 in Q1 according to the Alpine driver.

“It’s a joke, honestly,” Ocon said, while Verstappen called him a “stupid idiot”.

There was drama earlier in the race too after Norris appeared to have been impeded by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on a hot lap earlier in Q1.

“I got blocked, he got completely in my way,” the McLaren driver said over team radio and he had support from Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle.

“Perez may well take some pain for that… that was a clear block,” Brundle said in agreement.

For the time being though Perez is in the clear, with a number of other drivers set to face the stewards after indiscretions in Q1.

Hamilton, George Russell, Albon, Zhou, Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas will all be summoned for failing to follow the maximum out-lap time.

Stroll, meanwhile, having already copped a five-place grid penalty for overtaking Sainz under double waved yellow flags during FP3 made the same mistake in Q1.

It means Stroll, who finished 14th in qualifying, will instead start Sunday’s race at P19.

QUALIFYING TOP 10

1 — Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2 — Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (10-place grid penalty)

3 — Max Verstappen, Red Bull

4 — George Russell, Mercedes

5 — Pierre Gasly, Alpine

6 — Alex Albon, Williams

7 — Logan Sargeant, Williams

8 — Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

9 — Kevin Magnussen, Haas

10 — Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

AUSSIE PIASTRI GOES SECOND-FASTEST IN EVENTFUL FP3

Saturday’s dramatic qualifying session came after Piastri posted the second fastest lap in the final practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ George Russell claimed the hottest lap on Saturday with a 1.34.093 before the session ended abruptly when Williams’ Alexander Albon lost a tyre.

Albon still managed to post the sixth fastest time before the red flag was shown.

Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were caught out by the early finish as they could only register 16th and 17th respectively - after setting the pace in practice 2.

“I’m surprised Ferrari didn’t run it a little bit earlier,” commentator Jenson Button said.

“Now they’ve got no info to go on going into qualifying.”

Williams Mercedes’ Logan Sargeant was the other surprise packet in third - ahead of Max Verstappen.

“It’s great to see Logan up there as well. That’s going to give him a massive boost of confidence,” Button praised.

“We know he has the talent, but his head has dropped.

“It’s such a mental game.”

Lewis Hamilton could only manage eighth - 0.76 seconds off the pace, while Aussie Daniel Riccardo was last from his 15 laps, some 3.7 seconds back.

But it was joy for Piastri who admitted struggling with the “very slippery” conditions on Friday.

“The tyres were pretty difficult with a lot of graining, which is something we need to try to look at for tomorrow,” he said after Friday’s 14th finish.

“We’ll have to see what we can do, hopefully it’s a better day all around for everyone involved and hopefully we can have the crowd back tomorrow. It’s a shame they didn’t get to see any action today.”

PRACTICE 3 RESULTS

1. G. Russell 1.34.093

2. O. Piastri 1.34.491

3. L.Sargeant 1.34.645

4. M.Verstappen 1.34.653

5. S.Perez 1.34.706

6. A.Albon 1.34.726

7. F.Alonso 1.34.788

8. L. Hamilton 1.34.853

9. V.Bottas 1.34.908

10. K.Magnussen 1.35.067

ALEX ALBON’S BIG HIT ENDS SESSION EARLY

The final Las Vegas Grand Prix practice session has ended abruptly after Alexander Albon put his Williams into the wall and broke his tyre loose.

With the tyre left to roll down the Strip, and alongside Red Bull star Max Verstappen, the session was red flagged despite having five minutes still to run.

“Oh that’s a big hit,” commentator Jenson Button said.

“It’s a horrible position to be in.”

David Croft said Albon suffered quite an impact when he sailed marginally wide on Saturday’s final practice.

“I get the feeling it was quite a bang,” he said.

“Session’s not going to be resumed.

Alexander Albon's crash ended the final practice early.Source: FOX SPORTS

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“The wheel should not be coming off when you make that sort of contact.

“Three wheels on one wagon do not work.”

Karun Chandhok initially feared the entire wheel had come loose, before replays showed it was just the tyre - with the wheel still attached to the Williams.

“The FIA will have a look at that from a safety perspective,” he said.

“(It’s) unusual.

“That’s a lesson going forward – if we’re going to be doing more street tracks, we can’t have that happening again.”

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