• Ferrari’s Sainz second with Alpine’s Gasly in third
• Verstappen ahead of Norris and eyeing fourth title in row

George Russell absolutely shone in claiming pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix under the glowing neon of the Strip with a superb lap for Mercedes but while he has every chance to convert it to a win, the focus in sin city will be on the big prize, with the world championship battle finely poised for Saturday’s night’s potentialtitle-deciding race.

Max Verstappen who was fifth, had the edge over title rival McLaren’s Lando Norris in sixth. The pair line up alongside each other on the grid, perhaps far more than Verstappen might have hoped for given how the Red Bull struggled for pace in practice. Yet the pressure is on Norris who must get in front of Verstappen and make up places on the world champion.