McLaren driver Lando Norris delivered a masterclass in treacherous conditions to seize pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, outpacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and strengthening his grasp on the battle for the F1 title.
On a rain-soaked circuit hosting its first wet qualifying session, the Briton asserted calm where others faltered, securing his third consecutive pole while title rival Oscar Piastri struggled to a disrupted fifth-place finish.
Norris, who leads Piastri by 24 points with only three races remaining, beat Verstappen by a commanding 0.323 seconds.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz sprung a surprise by taking third on the grid, with Mercedes’ George Russell fourth.
The conditions, bordering on hazardous, appeared to reward inch-perfect car placement rather than raw pace.
Several drivers likened the track surface to sheet ice, a sentiment Verstappen would later echo.
“That was stressful, stressful as hell,” Norris admitted after the session.
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Lando Norris finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr in qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix
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“No-one’s driven here in the wet before. After Q1, every corner you felt like you could crash every corner.
“The first two sectors were good. As soon as you hit the kerb a little bit wrong it’s tricky, it snapped one way and then the other but good enough for pole.”
His lap included a heart-stopping moment at the Turns 14-15-16 chicane, where a bounce over the kerb nearly ended his bid, but others behind had no chance to capitalise as warnings halted further improvement.
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Most of the grid persisted with full wet tyres during the early sessions, but it was the switch to intermediates in Q3 that exposed who could adapt under pressure.
Verstappen, normally untouchable in rain, conceded that the Red Bull felt unpredictable.
“It’s already slippery in the dry, but in the wet it’s not fun. It felt more like driving on ice,” he said.
“We were not quite competitive enough to fight for pole but second is still good. Excited for tomorrow, I hope the inside is OK in terms of grip but we will see.”
His aggressive launches off the line make him a looming threat for turn one, even without Saturday’s status advantage.
Lewis Hamilton finished 20th in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix
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Piastri was blunt about the opportunity missed.
Forced to lift off due to the yellow flags, he believed there was untapped pace in the McLaren.
“There was more out there that we didn’t get to use,” he told Sky Sports. “We’ve got a good car underneath us that seems to be working well in all conditions so we can have a strong race tomorrow and hopefully make up some spots.”
Further down the order, Lewis Hamilton suffered a shock exit in Q1, finishing 20th and recording the first time in his career that he qualified last on pure pace.
The seven-time champion was left bewildered, struggling to generate tyre temperature.
“It was very slippery and the first set of tyres didn’t work for us,” he said. “It’s a shame because the guys have done such a great job and the car was feeling awesome in FP3…but then the rain came.”