George Russell entered qualifying for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix with clear momentum. He topped FP3 in the wet and remained fastest in both Q1 and Q2 under full wet conditions. His speed suggested a realistic chance of repeating last season’s pole position. The situation changed once the track began to dry in Q3 and the field switched to intermediate tyres.
The issue came just before Russell began his final lap. He reported an unusual feeling from the front of the car, yet the Mercedes pit wall could not identify any anomaly in the telemetry. His repeated comments over team radio revealed clear discomfort. He later explained that the steering assistance seemed to fade, creating the sensation of a sudden loss of power steering. This limited his ability to place the car accurately through corners and affected every subsequent lap.
Engineering director Andrew Shovlin clarified that the power steering system experienced unstable assist levels during the latter half of Q3. This created more than a simple steering difficulty. Power steering input helps manage tyre load and temperature, and the instability forced Russell to apply excessive physical effort, which increased tyre temperatures during laps that should have been used for stabilising them. By the time he began his final lap, the tyres were outside the ideal operating range.
Shovlin stated that Russell pushed harder than planned on the penultimate lap because he was unsure whether the car would remain drivable. This left the tyres overheated at the start of the last lap, which eliminated his chance to challenge for pole. Russell accepted that the car did not feel particularly strong on the drying circuit even without the steering issue, although he still felt the situation was disappointing given how competitive he had been earlier in the session.
Despite the setback, fourth on the grid is a workable position for the race. The Las Vegas layout includes long straights that create passing opportunities with DRS, and Russell has already won at this venue from pole last year. He remains focused on using the second row start to recover ground on Sunday.
Lando Norris secured pole for McLaren ahead of Max Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz taking third. The race will run over 50 laps of the 6201 meter Las Vegas street circuit, with formation scheduled for 1:00 PM Japan time on November 22.
