Norris masters the madness: Key talking points from Las Vegas qualifying
- Elaina Russell
- 25 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Meghana Sree
Rain, chaos and a razor-sharp Lando Norris. The McLaren star takes pole, Max Verstappen stalks and Oscar Piastri is left playing catch-up.
Lando Norris mastered the rain-soaked Las Vegas Strip to take a third consecutive pole position, delivering a lap of precision and nerve in conditions that brought chaos for much of the grid. With the title fight tightening and weather refusing to cooperate, qualifying became a battle for balance, bravery and timing.
Here’s how a drenched Las Vegas session unfolded under the neon glare of the Strip.
Norris conquers the Strip in the rain
Norris continued his late-season surge with yet another stunning pole, stamping authority on a session defined by aquaplaning, blind braking points and relentless grip shifts.
His stellar lap, a 1:47.934, came in the dying moments on the intermediate tyre, nearly three-tenths clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. It was a lap that seemed entirely improbable –Norris had just avoided putting the MCL39 into the wall.
“Stressful as hell!” Norris admitted following the feat. “I didn’t know no one else was going to get a lap after me.”
It’s a third pole in a row for the leading McLaren man, while Piastri continues to falter and could only manage P5 for Sunday's race.
Verstappen chases, Sainz shines
Verstappen pushed hard but never quite closed the gap nor found the confidence Norris had in the trickier zones. Still, second slot represents a significant recovery for the Dutchman after Red Bull struggled in early running.
Carlos Sainz delivered one of the standout laps of the evening, dragging his Williams to third position, and escaping a penalty post-session. The Spaniard has thus far been wildly impressive on Saturdays, and Las Vegas reinforced his position as one of the grid’s sharpest qualifiers.
George Russell, who topped both initial qualifying sessions, had to settle for fourth after an untidy final run.
Racing Bulls deliver again
Liam Lawson took a confident sixth with his Racing Bulls entry, with teammate Isack Hadjar in eighth after an aggressive but tidy set of laps. Both excelled in changing conditions, placing the team at the front of the midfield once more.
Fernando Alonso slotted seventh for Aston Martin, continuing his run of strong-wet weather performance.
Charles Leclerc managed only ninth, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Alpine.
Big names fall early
The rain claimed several high-profile victims.
Lewis Hamilton had the most bruising session of all, finishing dead last. The Ferrari driver was far off of Russell’s benchmark in Q1, and struggled throughout to switch on the wets.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Yuki Tsunoda were also eliminated in the first stint.
Alexander Albon joined the list of Q1 exits after sliding into the wall at Turn 16, breaking his front-right suspension.
Meanwhile, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg narrowly missed the final stint by a margin of six-tenths, qualifying 11th.
Looking Ahead
With rain predicted to linger but dry conditions also expected for much of the race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix threatens to be as chaotic as qualifying. Norris starts ahead of both title rivals, with Piastri stuck in traffic and Verstappen poised to ambush from the front row.
Under the lights, on a damp street circuit with unforgiving walls, this championship can swing yet again in a heartbeat.
