Lando Norris secured pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in treacherous, wet conditions on the street circuit in Nevada, moving a step closer to his first Formula One world championship. The British driver outpaced Max Verstappen's Red Bull by over a second, while his closest title rival and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri could manage only fifth.
Norris, who had been napping before qualifying expecting dry conditions, admitted his surprise at the rain. 'I woke up and saw that it was raining,' he said. 'I thought: “Oh crap, this isn’t going to go well.”' Despite the hazards, he mastered the slippery surface to claim pole with a time of 1min 47.934sec, surviving a wobble through the final sector.
The session proved disastrous for Lewis Hamilton, who finished last for the first time in his career solely on pace. Struggling with the full-wet tyre and hindered by a late yellow flag, Hamilton described the conditions as 'as bad as it gets' and called this season 'definitely the hardest year'. Ferrari also endured frustration, with Charles Leclerc ninth and venting over the team radio about zero grip.
Norris now leads Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49 with three races remaining. If he extends his advantage to 26 points by the end of the next round in Abu Dhabi, he will clinch his maiden title. Carlos Sainz took third for Williams and George Russell fourth for Mercedes.
