Formula 1 – Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen takes the lead from Charles Leclerc on the first corner

Lap 25/50: That’s brutal on Carlos Sainz.

In one straight he was just overtaken by George Russell and then Max Verstappen, who was loving the double slipstream he was picking up.

Ferrari’s pitwall looking pretty glum right now.

We mentioned earlier about Lando Norris’ hefty crash which ended his Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Well, here’s an update on how he’s doing…

Lap 23/50: Approaching mid-way distance in this race and everyone is able to catch their breath again after a flurry of early pit-stops.

Verstappen is currently carving his way through the pack with his fresher tyres, with Fernando Alonso his latest victim.

The Mexican has plenty of support in the grandstands and his early pit-stop has put him in a very good position to win this race now as he assumes control of the race.

The last time Leclerc started a race on pole it was won by Perez.

Lap 21/50: Charles Leclerc is the only driver in the top 15 not on hard tyres.

Expect him to pit this lap.

Lap 20/50: Verstappen is back out in ninth and has the bit between his teeth now.

His team-mate Sergio Perez is primed to take the lead, however, when Charles Leclerc pits soon.

Things are finely poised – I love it.

Lap 18/50: A miserable pit-stop puts Hamilton all the way down to 19th in the standings.

There didn’t look a lot in his clip with Piastri but both cars have suffered as a result of it.

Drama down at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton complains of a puncture after a touch with Oscar Piastri.

The Brit is being passed with some ease.

Lap 16/50: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen playing a classic game of Tom and Jerry here.

The Red Bull man is having trouble with his tyres and his lead has evaporated.

And just like that, Charles Leclerc shows his confidence as he re-takes the lead. Remember, Verstappen has to serve this five second penalty in the pit-lane, too.

Lap 15/50: Tyres are beginning to grain quite badly now so expect a flurry of pit-stops.

Haas and Williams are having issues and are now bringing drivers in slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is losing time on Charles Leclerc.

That Ferrari is absolutely RAPID.

Lap 14/50: So, Sergio Perez is the fastest man on the track right now after a pit-stop… but he’s 12th.

Positive signs for Red Bull but he’s got a lot of work to do to slice through this field.

Lap 13/50: It’s a bunched up field but Lewis Hamilton is not getting much change out of overtakes as he remains in ninth.

Meanwhile, drama at Ferrari as Carlos Sainz is told they need to cool the car or STOP the car.

Lap 12/50: Max Verstappen has just plugged in a new fastest lap but Charles Leclerc has reduced the Dutchman’s lead to sub-2 seconds.

Long way to go yet to see if his five-second penalty hurts or not.

There is still an issue with grip out there, but the speed is absolutely remarkable on a street circuit.

High risk and high reward.

Lap 10/50: Pierre Gasly and Alpine are putting on a show here as the Frenchman closes in on George Russell in third.

Gasly is enjoying himself A LOT here. Decent battle for the podium right now.

Lap 9/50: Safe to say Verstappen is unconcerned by that penalty as he begins to stretch his lead out in front.

Fair play to Williams here, they are still running fifth and sixth against the odds.

Carlos Sainz, who qualified second but took a 10-place grid penalty, is slumped in 18th after a disastrous start.

Lap 8/50: Wow – so Max Verstappen DOESN’T have to give the lead back to Charles Leclerc, instead he’s been given a five-second time penalty when he next pits.

That’s scant consolation to Ferrari given Verstappen could well finish 5+ seconds ahead come the end of the race anyway.

Lap 7/50: Brave restart from Oscar Piastri and McLaren as he lifts himself up to 10th.

That safety car has bunched the pack up once again but it’s still Verstappen followed by Leclerc, Russell and Gasly.

Lap 5/50: Stil behind the safety car here as the debris from the Lando Norris crash at Turn 11/Turn 12 is cleared.

Lewis Hamilton’s front wing picked up some damage from that debris, he has revealed on his radio.

Turn 12 has caused chaos all weekend and Lando Norris locked his rear-axel under braking before cannoning into the tyre barrier.

McLaren’s disastrous weekend continues with a safety car now out.

He’s out of the car and OK and that’s the main thing.

Lap 3/50: Charles Leclerc, the pole sitter for this race, is demanding Max Verstappen gives him the lead back after squeezing him off on Turn 1.

Leclerc has labelled the world champion’s move a ‘joke’.

It’s over to the stewards now.

Lap 2/50: Lewis Hamilton tumbled to 14th in that chaotic start and Fernando Alonso has already complained of damage.

Virtual Safety Car is out due to the debris down at Turn 1.

Sergio Perez is pitting – you save nine seconds pitting under a VSC compared to normal – but what a frantic start.

Red Bull delighted and Ferrari fuming.

LAP 1/50: Max Verstappen squeezes Charles Leclerc wide and takes the lead! There’s a yellow flag in sector one after a spin between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.

Charles Leclerc is annoyed at being pushed off the road but what a start from the world champion.

The top 9 all starting on a new set of the medium C4 tyres… Lewis Hamilton starting on a used set of hards.

Right, formation lap time and then we’ll be ready for lights out and the drama to get going.

Like it or loathe it, this looks a great spectacle.

Last call to nip to the loo or grab some caffeine ahead of lights out… Terry Crews is excited and ready, are you?

Lando Norris to Sky F1 when asked what it’s like to drive this circuit:

‘Pretty dreadful because it’s the least tyre temp we’ve had all weekend.

‘It didn’t feel great but it should just come towards us. The track will improve a lot throughout the race.

‘It’s a lot more windy and I’m at the back of the grid, so a lot of stuff against me, but it should be a good race.’

Donny Osmond is the man tasked with singing the Star Spangled Banner for this one.

The drivers are all lined up and the impressive LVegas Sphere is flying the flag.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur on Sky Sports F1:

“I hope for [Charles Leclerc] that (he can win).

“From the beginning of the weekend we have good pace, very consistent.

“It means that we have to put everything together.

“We know that the race won’t be easy with the graining and we have to stay aware of it, but let’s have a look first on the launch and Turn 1, but we can be confident.”

The LA Lakers and NBA legend was a man of few words right now when approached by Martin Brundle.

But his three words hit the spot over at Mercedes…

High praise from DJ Steve Aoki just then…

This is likely to bring the necessary chaos fans have come to expect…

Guest lists at an F1 weekend can often run to 10-12 pages long… but this Vegas and everything is bigger and better and think more 60+ pages of celebs in tow for this one.

There have been busy grids in the past but this is off the charts.

That’s certainly the case for Max Verstappen.

He’s been a vocal critic of the glitz and the glamour that comes with this race weekend, but he’s getting into the swing of things with his race gear today.

The new street circuit was always expected to prove difficult for McLaren to deal with given their car’s performance is more suited to the expansive purpose-built race tracks, rather than street races.

If Williams have Brady in their corner, count the fastest man in the planet in his heyday, Usain Bolt, pulling for Alfa Romeo.

He got a sense of how fast the pit-stops are just now… and he’s got some work to do!

Expect the unexpected at a race as glitzy as this one… and there was a surprise FaceTime call in the Williams garage ahead of this race for Logan Sargent.

The young American driver got some quick words of advice from NFL legend Tom Brady.

A man who, above everything else, knows about winning.

As a result, many spectators missed the bulk of the action on Friday and images would suggest that trend has continued into the second day of racing in Nevada.

Nerves? Not for Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc.

What a spectacle this is.

Here is how it played out in Saturday’s qualifying session…

1 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari

2 Carlos Sainz – Ferrari *

3 – Max Verstappen – Red Bull

4 George Russell – Mercedes

7  Logan Sargeant – Williams

8 Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo

10 Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin

11 Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes

12 Sergio Perez – Red Bull

13 Nico Hulkenberg –  Haas

14 Lance Stroll – Aston Martin **

15 Daniel Ricciardo – AlphaTauri

16 Lando Norris – McLaren

18 Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo

19 Oscar Piastri – McLaren

20 Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri

* starts 12th after 10-place grid penalty

** starts 19th after a five-place grid penalty

Thursday night into Friday morning we had a loose manhole cover that caused utter chaos.

Now an oil spill has got heads spinning.

READ THE FULL STORY BELOW.

Good morning, one and all.

It’s an early start for fans in the UK (and a late on for those of you Stateside) as we prepare for live coverage of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

It’s a star-studded event with celebrities fighting tooth and nail for invites to Sin City, and we will get underway with lights out in just under an hour.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts on pole, with world champion Max Verstappen second.

Stick with me throughout the next few hours for all the updates…