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F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Race updates, stream and times as Max Verstappen closes in on title
F1 live updates from Vegas on a day where Max Verstappen could claim the 2024 drivers title
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Your support makes all the difference.George Russell put his Mercedes on pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix as team-mate Lewis Hamilton faltered to qualify only 10th.
As Russell saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by just 0.098 seconds to land top spot in Sin City, Hamilton was left to rue two mistakes which leaves him way down the order.
Pierre Gasly took a surprise third for Alpine, one place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris must outscore Max Verstappen by at least three points to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar, but the British driver will start one place behind the Dutchman in sixth.
Live stream - Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Las Vegas on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Max Verstappen up to P2! (Lap 11/50)
Verstappen cruises past Sainz on the back straight, while the Ferrari pits now too!
This is very, very early to pit for a one-stop strategy.
Piastri also pits, and serves his five-second penalty.
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris pit! (Lap 10/50)
Wow, that’s early!
Both the Ferrari and McLaren pit - both 2.5 seconds - and they drop to 16th and 17th!
Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, has a five-second time penalty for parking in front of his grid box.
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc drops to P4! (Lap 9/50)
How odd!
Leclerc drops two places in one lap, behind Sainz and Verstappen - has he got a problem? Or are his tyres simply not working? Think it may be the latter!
Sainz up to P2, with Verstappen P3!
Norris does now get above Gasly to move up to fifth!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell has opened up a gap (Lap 8/50)
Really good work from George Russell here!
After defending strong from Leclerc, he has opened up a two-second lead at the front!
Worryingly for McLaren, Lando Norris is yet to clear Pierre Gasly in fifth - the gap is 0.7 secs. Max Verstappen is running away down the road...
Top-10: Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Verstappen, Gasly, Norris, Tsunoda, Piastri, Hamilton, Hulkenberg
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Verstappen moves up to fourth! (Lap 4/50)
Max Verstappen gets it done down the back straight, with Gasly not even putting up a fight!
Meanwhile, Russell has to defend hard to keep the lead from Leclerc - who is right on his gearbox!
A note from the stewards too: Oscar Piastri noted for a potential false start. Bad news for McLaren.
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Gasly drops to P4! (Lap 2/50)
Gasly with not the best start, dropping a spot to fourth - and now Max Verstappen is right on his tail!
Top-10: Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Gasly, Verstappen, Norris, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Piastri, Hamilton
Pretty smooth through the opening two laps!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: George Russell keeps the lead!
Lights out and it’s a great get-away from Russell!
He keeps P1, but Charles Leclerc has stormed past Gasly and teammate Sainz to get up to second!
Verstappen just keeps fifth from Norris too!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: Formation lap!
George Russell leads the cars around this Vegas circuit then for the formation lap!
The top-14 all start on medium tyres, with a one-stop strategy likely over this 50-lap grand prix, while Fernando Alonso in P16 surprisingly starts on soft tyres!
Here we go then - who will lead after turn one?!
F1 Las Vegas GP LIVE: A reminder of the starting grid...
1. George Russell
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Pierre Gasly
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Max Verstappen
6. Lando Norris
7. Yuki Tsunoda
8. Oscar Piastri
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Lewis Hamilton
11. Esteban Ocon
12. Kevin Magnussen
13. Zhou Guanyu
14. Liam Lawson
15. Sergio Perez
16. Fernando Alonso
17. Alex Albon
18. Lance Stroll
19. Valtteri Bottas*
Pit lane. Franco Colapinto**
*Bottas has a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine
**Colapinto will start from the pit lane after his crash in qualifying
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