We've Got A Mixed-Up Grid For The Las Vegas Grand Prix, Could A Surprise Winner (I.E. Anyone Not Named Max Verstappen) Be In The Cards?
Qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix wrapped up in the early morning hours on Saturday, and the session provided some surprises, However, will it be enough to prevent Max "Definitely Not A Vegas Guy" Verstappen from taking the top step of the podium?
Uh... maybe?
Let's start at the sharp end of the field. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is on pole for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix and that's not a surprise at all. The Scuderia has looked to be the best strongest team on single-lap pace all weekend.
Coming in just behind Leclerc was his teammate Carlos Sainz who qualified in P2. But — and this is a big but — he'll start in 11th after Thursday night/Friday morning's drain cover fiasco.
This is huge for the Grand Prix. It's a short run down to the first corner and that leads directly into turns 2 through 4. Starts have not been Red Bull's forte this year either, so I would fully expect Leclerc to hang onto first through the first 4 corners assuming he has no issues with his start.
Leclerc Not Having Sainz Up Front With Him Will Make Life Difficult For Ferrari
Having Sainz up front with him would be a massive help. That's because one of the keys for Leclerc to win is to keep the lead through the opening corners and jump out to more than a 1-second lead over Verstappen within the first two laps. That's because after lap two, the DRS zones are activated. If Verstappen is within DRS range of Leclerc, he and his RB19 will easily breeze past Leclerc on one of the straights. Just like a tourist en route to an all-you-can-eat-buffet.
It would be much easier to build that gap if Sainz was behind him making Verstappen's life a bit more difficult on the opening lap. However, as good as the Ferrari has looked, it might still be possible to build that early gap, just much, much harder.
Of course, you can't win a race on the opening few corners — although you can lose one — so even if Leclerc doesn't build a gap early, or even gives up the lead to Verstappen, all is not lost.
With this being a new track, strategy is kind of anyone's guess. It's entirely possible that someone could eke out a win simply by gambling (because Vegas) on a strategy that differs from their competition. If Verstappen goes for a two-stopper, maybe Leclerc will go for a two-stopper.
Now, I've only really talked about Leclerc and Verstappen upfront, but they've got company, some of it a little surprising.
Williams could be a team to watch, thanks to a circuit that works well with their car. (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
McLaren Struggles, Williams Could Have Themselves A Day (A Night... Early Morning... Whatever...)
Row two is comprised of Mercedes' George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Both drivers were solid in qualifying. However, I kind of think the lower-powered Alpine will drop off from Hamiton, Leclerc, and Verstappen all of whom have much more powerful engines in the back of their cars.
Plus, peep that third row. Yeah, that's an all-Williams third row. There was some thought that the Sin City Street Circuit might suit their car. That seems to be the case.
This a fast circuit that rewards cars that are slippery in a straight line and the Williams is just that. Willams tends to have a car that performs better on race days than Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas and Haas of Kevin Magnussen behind them. So, I think a double points-finish is very much on the table, and boy, could Logan Sargeant use that.
Surprisingly, McLaren had a miserable qualifying. Both of their cars will start well outside the points with Lando Norris in P15 and Oscar Piastri in P18. Less than ideal when their lead over Aston Martin for P4 in the constructors standings is down to 21 points, but the team appeared to kind of expect this due to the lack of medium-speed corners that they thrive on. Starting this far back will also allow them to get creative with the tire strategy and maybe, just maybe things will fall into place for them.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix Is Verstappen's Race To Lose
It's been an interesting weekend, to say the least. F1's return to Sin City has been far from smooth sailing, but a lot of that will be forgotten if the race turns out to be fantastic. It sure looks to me that because of the mixed-up grid and the unknown regarding strategies, I think that could very well be the case.
I think this is Verstappen's race to lose, and I'm sure he'll be happy to speed out of Las Vegas.
Just not before he stands on the podium in his new Elvis-inspired firesuit that I'm sure he's thrilled about wearing.
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