Las Vegas Grand Prix - Formula 1: Live leaderboard and lap-by-lap updates as Max Verstappen looks to claim fourth-consecutive world title by outscoring Lando Norris

JONATHAN McEVOY IN LAS VEGAS: Looks arsenic if Max Verstappen is assured of his 4th satellite title. Four connected the trot. Lewis Hamilton has done that and truthful has Sebastian Vettel.

He volition beryllium taken successful a Rolls Royce Phantom to the Ballagio, truthful I americium told. A unusual prime of car for America?

George Russell driving brilliantly successful a fabulous Mercedes – a triumph seems good successful reach.

We've had our archetypal DNF of the race, arsenic Gasly succumbs to that evident motor contented and finishes his contention aboriginal aft specified a promising show successful qualifying.

Perez was holding onto 2nd spot for a portion but making much oregon little nary inroads connected Russell's lead.

It looked similar helium was struggling with grip, and it isn't agelong earlier Verstappen assumes power of the pursuit.

He's presently astir 9.8s down Russell, with the Ferrari duo successful 3rd and fourth, not excessively acold down him.

It's each happening retired successful Vegas.

Gasly is not a blessed antheral retired there.

He's frantically shouting down the mic that he's got nary power, but there's thing registering for his squad backmost astatine contention control.

But it looks similar things are going from atrocious to worse, and he's got what seems to beryllium motor occupation arsenic helium makes for the pit.

Hamilton hands the pb backmost to his team-mate arsenic helium excessively enters the pits, with Russell starring from Perez and Verstappen.

He seems not excessively blessed astatine wherever he's travel out, successful seventh betwixt Norris and Magnussen, but his squad are speedy connected the mic to archer him that helium mightiness person been different 5 places backmost had they timed it somewhat differently.

In goes Russell, to manus the pb to his team-mate Hamilton.

Verstappen's timing isn't excessively great, arsenic helium comes backmost retired onto the way successful a spot of traffic, uncovering himself successful 4th spot arsenic the filling successful a Hulkenberg-Sainz sandwich.

It's a spot early, but arsenic it stands, Verstappen is going to marque it 4 successful a row...

Sainz is adjacent into the pit arsenic Verstappen moves up to second, but he's inactive 8.6s down ledaer Russell.

Piastri picked up a 5 2nd punishment aft what was ruled to beryllium a mendacious commencement astatine lights out, and heads into the pits wherever helium serves his time.

Verstappen is present being called into the pits excessively arsenic we attack the quarter-of-the-way mark.

Well did Leclerc spell excessively early?

It looks similar it - he's already headed into the pit aft dropping backmost into fourth.

Verstappen has made headway and is up successful 3rd successful down Sainz successful second, portion Norris is adjacent into the pit, on with Albon and Stroll.

Hamilton has been engaged aboriginal on, and is present up into 5th and is closing successful connected Gasly successful fourth.

After an fantabulous aboriginal conflict betwixt the apical two, Leclerc has backed disconnected conscionable a small and the spread is down to astir 2s.

There appears to beryllium a small spot of debris connected the near manus broadside of Russell's car, but it's thing excessively large and tin astir apt past until the pit stop.

Hamilton has passed Hulkenburg and tries to instrumentality Piastri too, but the Australian holds connected for now...

As I accidental that, Verstappen gets past Gasly and is up unto fourth.

Leclerc is truly pushing Russell now, and the 2 are side-by-side astatine 1 point, but the Brit holds steadfast and conscionable astir keeps his chemoreceptor ahead.

Alonso is already successful the pit, and Piastri has been noted for a mendacious start.

It's each happening.

So 4 laps successful and Leclerc and Russell are already locked successful a fascinating battle.

The Mercedes had stretched to conscionable implicit a 2nd up of the Ferrari but Leclerc has chopped the shortage to astir 3 tenths arsenic the apical 2 speech fastest laps aboriginal on.

Verstappen is inactive successful fifth, astir a 2nd up of Norris successful sixth.

Russell starts brilliantly and holds onto his pb going into the archetypal corner, but it's Charles Leclerc who makes the move.

The Ferrari operator takes some Perre Gasly and Sainz earlier the archetypal bend.

Verstappen and Norris are broadside by side, but determination is nary overtake.

Perez is locked successful a superb conflict with Alonso, Albon and Magnussen towards the back, but has dropped 1 spot to 16th, portion Alonso is up 2 into 14th.

Breathless start.

Here we go!

Out spell the lights and we're distant successful Las Vegas!

Right it's enactment thigh time, arsenic George Russell leads the battalion retired for 1 past travel circular the way to familiarise themselves with what is inactive a precise caller summation to the F1 roster.

Almost each of them are connected the hards.

Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Franco Colapinto are connected the hards, and Fernando Alonso is the lone 1 who's gone for the brushed tyres.

With the lights successful Sin City, it's a existent kaleidoscope of colours retired determination with each the liveries and the bodies milling astir connected the grid.

There's 12 MILLION airy bulbs shining retired successful Vegas tonight, according to Sky...

Just a fewer minutes to spell now!

We've got conscionable nether 10 minutes to spell - which is much than emough clip to bask Mail Sport's exceptional exclusive interrogation with Red Bull main Christian Horner from earlier this week.

Horner talks each astir the enactment from his wife, however helium tin execute existent catharsis this year, and his fued with Toto Wolff.

Check it retired below!

Fangio. Schumacher. Vettel. Hamilton. Verstappen?

The Red Bull icon tin go lone the 5th operator ever to triumph 4 consecutive F1 satellite championships today.

He's 62 up with conscionable 2 much races aft contiguous - arsenic agelong arsenic helium goes into Qatar with a pb of astatine slightest 60 points, the crown volition beryllium his.

Will helium bash it?

Boyz II Men are up adjacent arsenic they springiness a precise awesome three-way acapella show of the US nationalist anthem.

There's besides a beardown philharmonic beingness arsenic you'd ideate connected the grid, with Public Enemy icon Flava Flav retired determination too.

And yes - helium is wearing a monolithic bejewelled clock.

I conjecture you could accidental it's been a ROCKY grid locomotion this morning...

I tin lone apologise.

Sylvester Stallone jokes that helium would person been racing this greeting if it wasn't for a 'bad ankle'.

Brundle responds: 'Oh, I'm atrocious to perceive astir that.'

Peak grid walk.

Here we go, vintage Brundle.

After bumping into Paul Mescal helium find himself face-to-face to the fastest antheral successful the satellite Noah Lyles.

After introducing himself to the sprinter, a precise large Lyles shouts successful his look that helium can't perceive him arsenic 1 of the cars picks precisely the close infinitesimal to commencement up and rev the engine.

Franco Colapinto is up next, who reassures that helium is 'a spot sore but ok' aft a nasty clang successful qualifying.

Well I'm not definite that Martin Brundle has ever received a akin instauration to his grid locomotion arsenic Bruce Buffer delcares him the top successful the satellite successful a genuinely bizarre acceptable up you'd lone spot successful Vegas.

We've already had the obligatory awkward exhanges from Martin, an icon successful his ain right, who has got his mic tangled up with a passerby and mislaid his camera.

He's amazingly made it each the mode done a melee of bodies without uncovering a azygous operator to chat to, but Hollywood shaper Jerry Bruckheimer comes to the rescue to speech Martin done Brad Pitt's escapades past nighttime to prevention america all.

Not excessively shabby, huh?

This was the aerial presumption up of signifier a mates of nights ago, and it's not a atrocious 1 is it?

As you'd imagine, the large names are retired successful their droves this morning.

We've already seen Gladiator stars Paul Mescal and Pedro Mescal chatting to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz connected Sky's sum astir everything down to the magnitude of torque drivers acquisition pulling distant astatine lights out.

We've adjacent had Brad Pitt retired and astir about the way during qualifying, w ith the Hollywood A-lister 'fainting' portion filming immoderate stunts for his upcoming movie.

And past determination are the casual fans; truthful acold we've had exemplary Winnie Harlow, instrumentalist ultimate John Legend and acting fable Terry Crewes successful and astir the paddock successful the past hr oregon so.

With specified a roster of celebrated faces, you fearfulness for Martin Brundle who volition person a busy, engaged evening with his grid walk...

Even the flags person been fixed the Vegas treatment!

And look astatine each those lights! It's a caller people connected the grid, but you can't contradict it's already making a spectacular splash.

Did we expect thing remotely verging connected accepted from Vegas?

Well we've mentioned the podium-sitters heading into the contention this evening - oregon greeting depending connected wherever you're watching! - but however did qualifying play out?

Well the archetypal mates of signifier sessions were dominated by Lewis Hamilton aft a fearfulness amusement astatine Interlagos, earlier his team-mate came retired fastest by conscionable 0.098s successful quali.

But however did those 3 sessions play retired yesterday, I perceive you asking? Well you tin instrumentality a look astatine the nexus below!

Welcome, invited everyone to Mail Sport's LIVE sum of the Las Vegas Grand Prix!

The F1 circus - and an implicit glut of stars from transverse the satellite - has arrived successful Sin City for the astir extravagent and flashy contention successful the calendar retired successful the Nevada desert.

We've got George Russell connected rod up of Carlos Sainz and - yep, that's close - Pierre Gasly completing the apical three, but much connected that a spot later!

Stick with america for the adjacent 45 minutes oregon truthful arsenic we instrumentality you done everything that's happened implicit the past mates of days arsenic we physique up to lights out.