Norris takes stunning Vegas pole in the wet

McLaren’s Lando Norris mastered a chaotic qualifying session to secure pole in treacherous conditions, while Sir Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q1 and will start from the back.

McLaren’s Lando Norris will start the Las Vegas Grand Prix from pole position after setting a commanding lap of 1:47.934 in treacherous wet conditions. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen lines up second and Williams’ Carlos Sainz Jr. completes the top three.

After taking pole, Norris detailed how intense the session was.

“Boy that was stressful, stressful as hell! I didn't know no one else would get a lap after me.

“I knew the first two sectors were good. It’s so slippery out there. As soon as you hit the kerb a bit wrong, like I did, you snap one way, lose the car the other way. Close to hitting the wall.

“Good enough for P1. Not the nicest of conditions but I'm happy it stopped raining and we could get a good qualifying on.”

He continued by explaining how unexpected the rain was.

“I was having a little nap before qualifying. I expected it to be dry but I woke up and saw it was raining and thought ‘this is not going to go well’.

“No one has driven around here in the rain before, so it was difficult to know what to expect.

“After Q1, every corner you felt you could crash and it could easily be over.

“More rewarding a day like this because it was a tricky one.”

Qualifying began in the wet, immediately causing trouble across the field.

Haas’ Oliver Bearman touched the barriers late in the first qualifying session, causing a minor disruption, but qualifying continued.

The biggest shock came at the end of Q1 as Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton was eliminated after struggling for grip at the end of the session and will start from the back of the field in P20. Hamilton admitted the result was a difficult one to accept.

“It doesn't feel good. But all I can do, I've just got to let it go and try to come back tomorrow... This year is definitely the hardest year. We've got a really good car. It will be really hard to come back from 20th.”

Also eliminated in Q1 were Williams’ Alexander Albon, Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.

In Q2, Kick Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto all failed to progress into the final segment.

As conditions gradually improved in Q3, the track remained extremely slippery. Verstappen, who pushed his Red Bull to second place, described just how difficult it was to keep the car on the limit.

“It was really, really slippery out there. It’s already slippery in the dry and in the wet it’s not fun.

“I like to drive in the wet. This felt more like driving on ice.

“It took a long time to get the tyres working.

“I do feel we were more competitive on the extreme tyre, but the track was improving so we had to move on to the inter.

“We struggled to have any kind of grip. On the final lap you risk a little bit more, but it was still by far not enough to fight for first.

“Still to be on the front row I think is good for us.

“I am excited for tomorrow. I hope the inside is ok in terms of grip, but we will see.”

Carlos Sainz, who finished third provisionally, sounded encouraged after the session and remained optimistic about Williams’ performance in the changing conditions.

“This track suited our car in the dry. In the wet in FP3, we did not look very promising but we made some changes to the car that helped in the wet which allowed me to go fastest in Q1, Q2.

“On the intermediates I knew the others would catch up a bit. I am happy with P3.

“I would have loved to have been on pole but we were not quite there.”

Mercedes’ George Russell secured fourth on the grid after a steady final segment, keeping himself in contention despite the constantly changing grip levels in Q3.

Just behind him is championship contender Oscar Piastri in fifth for McLaren. He felt there was more pace available.

“What I can say is there was more out there we didn’t get to use.

“I think we have got a good car underneath us. It seems to be working well in all kinds of conditions.

“I think we can have a strong race and hopefully make up some spots.”

Behind the McLaren driver, the rest of the top ten was shaped by the changing conditions, producing a mixed and competitive grid.

RB’s Liam Lawson will start sixth after another strong showing in the challenging conditions.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso lines up seventh, keeping himself well inside the points positions.

Eighth place belongs to RB’s Isack Hadjar after an impressive performance from the rookie.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts ninth following a disrupted final run in Q3.

Rounding out the top ten is Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who secured the final spot in the leading group.

If qualifying was anything to go by, race day in Vegas could be the wildest showdown of the season.

Full qualifying results: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/races/1274/las-vegas/qualifying