Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying: George Russell leads the pack after Colapinto crashes Williams

The two Mercedes have looked like the fastest car all weekend so far, but in the final qualifying session Sir Lewis Hamilton was nowhere to be seen, only claiming tenth place while teammate Russell topped the timing sheets.

Russell found four tenths of a second in his final run, marking his fourth career pole. The Brit beat Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to P1, with championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris qualifying fifth and sixth respectively.

Frenchman Pierre Gasly stunned the grid by qualifying third in his Alpine - a car that has been a backmarker for most of the season. It comes after the Enstone outfit finished second and third in Brazil last time out.

The final session was delayed after Williams driver Franco Colapinto crashed towards the end of Q2, bringing out the red flag. Colapinto clipped the inside wall on the exit of turn 16, before hitting the outside barrier as his car simply disintegrated before our eyes.

The young Argentine was drafted in to replace American Logan Sargeant, who had built a reputation for putting his car into the barriers and costing Williams an arm and a leg in repairs.

While Colapinto’s pace has put the rest of the paddock on high-alert, the Williams mechanics have now tended to six crashes in the past three race weekends. In an update, the team said: “Absolutely gutted but we’re thankful Franco is okay. Devastating for the team following a tough qualifying with things looking positive after FP3. Our crew are in for a long night but we will do our best to come back stronger tomorrow."

Speaking after qualifying, Russell said: “It feels incredible to be back on pole, we’ve been quick all weekend. I’m just so happy but it was a real surprise.

“I felt confident in myself, I knew if I did a clean lap it wouild be enough for the front row. We need to convert that into a win now. I’m excited for the race.”

The full qualifying result is as follows:

1. George Russell (Mercedes) - 1:32.312

2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 1:32.410

3. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 1:32.664

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:32.783

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1:32.797

6. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:33.008

7. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) - 1:33.029

8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:33.033

9. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) - 1:33.062

10. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 1:48.106

11. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 1:33.221

12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 1:33.297

13. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) - 1:33.566

14. Franco Colapinto (Williams) - 1:33.749

15. Liam Lawson (RB) - 1:34.257

16. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 1:34.155

17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1:34.258

18. Alexander Albon (Williams) - 1:34.425

19. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber) - 1:34.430

20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 1:34.484