Las Vegas: pre-qualifying 2023

Well, this got off to a fantastic start. Cold temperatures and concerns over tyres and brakes led the way into the weekend, but what caused immediate problems was manhole cover woe, which caused Sainz some damage (and a 10 place grid penalty, though this may be overturned) and reduced first practice to 10 minutes.

For what it’s worth, the top 10 in FP1 were Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Verstappen, Ocon, Russell, Sainz, Tsunoda, Perez, and Bottas.

Second practice had Leclerc lead Sainz in a Ferrari 1-2 at the top of the timesheet, followed by Alonso, Perez, and Bottas. Verstappen, Hulkenberg, and Stroll came next, with Hamilton and Albon rounding out the top 10.

Qualifying is set to be quite hard to predict, though Ferrari appear in with a shot of pole, as they achieved in the similarly high speed Monza.

 

Sainz at 7 each way for fastest in qualifying is something tempting enough that I’ve backed it. He got the pole in Monza and I suspect he, Leclerc, and Verstappen will be the ones battling for the top time.

 

Morris Dancer

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