F1 Las Vegas GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying | Live ...

The bigger picture from qualifying of course is Verstappen outqualifying Norris.

Unless anything drastic happens - which is likely here in fairness - the Dutchman will be crowned a four-time champion tomorrow.

Gasly: "It is unbelievable. It was an incredible lap, flirting with walls everywhere. I knew it was a great lap but it is just amazing."

Sainz: "Very tricky. It was a tight quali. A bit closer to pole than expected.

"We need to stay confident that tomorrow we can fight at the front even more than today."

Russell: "It feels incredible to be back on pole. I knew coming into the last Q3 lap it was the one that counts."

On his wall contact: "We had to change the front wing, I didn't know if I would make the flag." 

That's four sessions from four for Mercedes this weekend, but Hamilton will be sick after the end of qualifying he experienced.

But tomorrow is a whole different story given the tyre graining that is expected on long runs.

Will that see a flip-flop in the pecking order?

Tsunoda did well to split the McLarens, Piastri ahead of only Hulkenberg and Hamilton in Q3.

Leclerc is fourth ahead of Verstappen, who looks in position A to confirm the title this weekend by starting one place ahead of Norris.

That could be fireworks at the start...

Sainz did turn the form from Q1 and Q2 around to get second, but superstar of the session has to be Gasly for Alpine.

That really came from the clouds.

All eyes to Russell... POLE!

He gets it all lined up when he needs it, setting a 1m32.312s to clinch pole.

Hamilton could manage just 10th after another error on his second effort.

The track is ramping up - Sainz is pole now! 

A 1m32.4s puts the Ferrari top, but GASLY goes second for Alpine. Where has that come from?

Norris goes third now as Leclerc goes fastest! A great lap.

Piastri will cross the line first of the 10 and goes provisionally third.

Green lights all over the timing screens but nobody can get near Russell through the first two sectors. It will all come down to the final sector times.

Russell gets back on track with two minutes to go. It's crunch time.

Replays also show Russell clipping the wall on the exit of Turn 5. That's a lucky escape if there's no damage.

Gasly also reported a wall strike on his first effort.

Russell, Verstappen and Hamilton are in the pits but the rest are out on track again with four minutes to go now.

Leclerc has time to find as replays show a mistake in the middle of the lap. That's why he's down in eighth.

"I want to be at the back, that was too early I think." 

He might be fastest with five minutes to go, but Russell is calling the shots.

Hamilton had a big lock-up on the way onto the Strip and had to abort his effort before hitting the wall.

Now the pressure is on as he pits. He will have a fresh set of tyres but he's stuck down in 10th now.

Second for Verstappen with a strong middle sector. Make that third as Russell posts a 1m32.811s.

That's a stronger marker.

Sainz is comfortably fastest but three-tenths off the best Q2 lap.

Hulkenberg goes ahead of Leclerc, Tsunoda is seventh.

We await times from Verstappen and the Mercedes duo.

Norris goes faster by two-tenths, with Leclerc going fourth, separated from the McLarens by Gasly.

A lot of complaining from the Australian's rear under traction but he is still up on Norris through two sectors.

The benchmark is set at 1m33.520s.

It looks like a second warm-up lap for Verstappen, what will the McLarens do? Piastri looks like he is in a hurry...

Verstappen again makes sure he is first on track, followed by both McLarens and Gasly.

There's movement, the delay is over. Let's find our polesitter!

It has to be said that what Verstappen is doing with the Red Bull in its current state is nothing short of stunning.

The car has looked frankly terrible to drive all weekend yet he's right in the thick of the pole fight.

Focus can start to turn back to the fight for pole. Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri and Verstappen all look likely to challenge, but it only takes a good lap for Sainz to be in that fight too.

UPDATE

From the FIA: "Barrier repairs are now done, the track is being cleared for Q3 to start shortly."

A great effort from everyone at the scene of the incident to get that clear.

More pain for Williams - Colapinto's pace on that lap would have been good for Q3. He was faster than anyone in the first five mini-sectors of the final sector.

Perhaps the positive for hopes of a short delay is that drivers remain in their cars for now.

This is a first test for new race director Rui Marques. 

Everyone was sort of out of sync at the end there but the top 10 was still fascinating reading.

If and when we get back under way, Hamilton will be eying a record-extending pole position.

The crash happened at the exit of the penultimate corner - the switchback after the hairpin bringing cars off the Strip.

But such was the speed involved, the Williams continued skating down the straight leading to the final corner. This really won't be the work of a moment to clean up.

Drivers would have had to drive through that mass of debris on the way back to the pits, so no doubt there will be plenty of checking going on in the garages.

From the FIA: "There's a lot of debris on track and some potential barrier repairs needed. The circuit operations team are currently working on this."

My advice? Get the kettle on...

You have to feel for the Williams crew. 

The amount of full rebuilds the team has had to go through - five in the previous two weekends alone - is so disheartening.

Colapinto looks utterly dejected. Unfortunately, it was completely a driver error.