🔗 Share this article

Lando Norris delivered a stunning lap in difficult rainy conditions on the Las Vegas city track, earning pole position for the upcoming Grand Prix and moving a important step closer to his first Formula One title.

Championship Race Heats Up as Norris Extends Lead

The championship frontrunner beat Max Verstappen, who secured P2, while his closest rival—fellow driver Oscar Piastri—ended up in fifth position, offering the McLaren driver a golden opportunity to extend his lead in the standings.

Williams' Carlos Sainz took third, with George Russell ending up in fourth place.

Lewis Hamilton Suffers Dismal Session in Las Vegas

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton experienced a difficult qualifying, ending up in 20th place after failing to get the tires to perform in the rainy conditions during the first qualifying session and being hampered with a late yellow flag.

His car has faced problems activating tires in rainy weather throughout the year, but Hamilton's teammate performed more successfully, finishing in ninth place and posting a time three seconds faster than his teammate in the first qualifying segment.

"It was terrible," Hamilton said. "I couldn't see anything. I believe I made contact with the barrier at one point. I just couldn't even see the corners."

After showing impressive speed in the final practice session, Hamilton was very let down again in what has been a trying debut year with the Italian team.

"Today was amazing," Hamilton remarked. "I missed my final lap opportunity. I felt like we were quickest and then I ended up last. This year is definitely the hardest year."

Norris Delivers When It Counted

In his case, as he aims to claim his first Formula One championship, he did exactly what was required by not only securing the top spot but also importantly beating his teammate on a circuit where McLaren had anticipated to struggle.

He now leads the Australian by 24 points and Verstappen by 49 points. As things stand, finishing in front of Piastri in the remaining three races would be enough to claim the title.

Indeed, if Norris can extend his lead to 26 points by the end of the next round in Abu Dhabi, it would be sufficient to clinch the title there.

Strong Performance Continues for Norris

He remains very much on a roll, finding his rhythm with the vehicle at a vital juncture in the title race, just as Piastri has floundered.

Norris was 34 points behind his fellow driver after the Dutch GP in the summer, but since then he has returned consistently strong results, including pole and victories in the last two events in Mexico City and Brazil—enough to shift the championship battle in his favor.

The Team Defies Predictions in Las Vegas

The driver and his team had downplayed their chances for the weekend in Nevada, on a track that is not ideal for their car due to low grip and cool temperatures, and the squad had never placed higher than sixth in the last two races here.

Yet, they showed outstanding performance in qualifying in the rain this occasion.

Challenging Weather Test Drivers

The sessions began in steady rain, which made what is already a slippery track in cold weather an major challenge, marking the first occasion the session has been held in the rain in Las Vegas and requiring the use of full-wet rubber.

In fact, on his initial laps, the driver voiced his worry as he ran off track. "Aqua-planing," he remarked. "It's impossible to stay on course."

Qualifying Unfolds with Excitement

Yet, as the rain subsided, the circuit started drying swiftly on the racing line and the laptimes dropped.

Nevertheless, the differences were fine, as Williams' Alex Albon found out when he was caught out on his last lap in Q1, striking the barrier and sustaining damage that finished his qualifying in 16th.

The rain ceased, but the track was still tricky to handle for the remainder of the session, and with rain tires still being used, the competitors remained on track and kept putting in times as the drying path got better and the laptimes dropped.

The final attempts were crucial, with Piastri barely making it through to the second segment in tenth place.

Exciting Finale to Qualifying

In the final segment, the teams switched to intermediate tyres, again remaining on track and pounding out circuits, making timing key for a final lap showdown.

Pole position changed hands multiple times as the timer counted down, with the McLaren driver posting a sighter with his name atop the board before the final hot laps.

Max Verstappen then grabbed the top spot as he completed his last run, but behind him, Norris was on a push and, even with a big wobble through corners the final sector, had already done enough for a mighty pole with a lap of one minute 47.934 seconds.

He could not be challenged with a caution in his wake as Leclerc ran off and Piastri also had to take avoidance measures to steer clear of another driver.