In what could be the decisive Formula 1 race of the season, world championship leader Max Verstappen will start ahead of his pursuer Lando Norris. The Red Bull driver didn’t come close to George Russell as the fastest driver in qualifying in Las Vegas, but he was faster than Norris and starts the race from fifth place. McLaren driver Norris also starts from the third row of the grid with the sixth best time in qualifying. Russell was fastest in the Mercedes with a time of 1:33.186 minutes, which is the fourth pole position of his career. Next to him on the front row is Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. In row two are Piere Gasly in the Alpine and Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari. Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas goes into the third-to-last race of the season from ninth place. Verstappen can seal his fourth world title in a row early in Las Vegas. Before the race on Saturday evening local time (Sunday 7:00 a.m. CET in the F.A.Z. live ticker for Formula 1, on Sky and RTL), he leads the standings with a 62-point lead over Lando Norris. With a win, the 27-year-old would be confirmed as champion, and overall he cannot lose more than two points on his British pursuer in the McLaren. Colapinto’s accident “significant and serious” Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez had already been eliminated in the first part of the qualification. Franco Colapinto caused the first long delay of the race weekend with an accident in the second section. It was the next expensive incident for Williams; the team had already had to extensively repair both vehicles in Brazil. It is questionable whether Colapinto will be able to take part in the race. According to his racing team, more than 50G affected his body when he crashed into the barrier. He was able to get out of his wrecked car on his own, but – in accordance with the rules for such an accident – he was taken to the track in the medical car to be examined. “An impact of this magnitude is of course significant and serious,” said Williams. The 21-year-old would have to be examined again “before we know whether he is allowed to take part in the race. Franco’s health is all that matters and we are glad that he is otherwise doing well.” Is Cadillac getting involved? Meanwhile, there are increasing signs that another American team will enter Formula 1. The broadcaster Sky Sports reported on the sidelines Grand Prix of Las Vegas that movement has come to the project and that General Motors will be represented in the premier class of motorsports with the Cadillac brand from 2026. “An entry from General Motors gets the green light,” reported the TV station. The only American team is currently Haas with Nico Hülkenberg.Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff had previously indicated in Nevada that a direct entry from General Motors could get the approval of the teams already represented in Formula 1 – even if they don’t play a formal role in the decision. This is solely in the hands of the world motorsport association FIA and the Formula 1 marketer Liberty Media. Because the teams had been resisting another participant for months and did not want to share the revenue, Formula 1 rejected the Andretti team’s entry . The American judiciary is investigating the decision. The FIA had given the green light to Andretti’s plans.More on the subject: “We have an obligation to represent the point of view that is best for our company and our employees and we have done that,” Wolff said. “I think if a team can contribute something to the championship, especially if GM decides to come in as team owner, then that’s a different story.” Andretti is probably still part of the consideration as a team, but with Michael Andretti in one significantly smaller role. The majority owner since September has been Dan Towriss, who came to Las Vegas for talks.
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