Lando Norris Claims Las Vegas Grand Prix Pole in Chaotic Wet Qualifying

Lando Norris delivered the fastest lap in the dying moments of a frantic qualifying session to take pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The strip had been soaked for hours after intermittent rain hit the circuit from late afternoon. Although the skies eased somewhat, the surface remained wet throughout, and with temperatures low there was little hope of natural drying. Drivers wrestled their cars through standing water, slipping off-line and struggling for consistency as the track evolved by the minute.

Q1: Big Names Fall as Weather Creates Chaos

Teams faced immediate dilemmas, with Aston Martin and Kick Sauber opting for full wets while most others started on intermediates. Within minutes nearly the entire grid had switched to wets as spray worsened and drivers reported aquaplaning.

Lap times tumbled as a narrow line began to form, yet the threat of yellow flags remained constant. Pierre Gasly and Oliver Bearman briefly headed the times before late improvements reshuffled the order. Charles Leclerc scraped through with a late lap, while Lewis Hamilton endured a disastrous session. Confusion over radio calls and a possible issue after running over a bollard left him without grip, and he aborted his final attempt. He was eliminated in P20, joining Alex Albon, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Yuki Tsunoda on the sidelines.

Q2: Stroll Gambles and Loses as Sainz Leads the Charge

After a short delay for barrier repairs, Q2 began on a very wet track, though the rain stopped. Times improved rapidly. Norris set the early benchmark before Verstappen, Sainz and Piastri traded top spot in quick succession.

Lance Stroll became the only driver to gamble on intermediates. The switch came too soon, and with insufficient time to bring the tyres into their window he was left vulnerable. As others improved, Stroll could not respond and fell to P12. Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Ollie Bearman and Franco Colapinto joined him in the drop zone. Gasly pulled out a late lap to reach Q3, knocking Hulkenberg out.

Q3: Intermediates Finally Arrive

For the first time all evening, intermediates became the tyre of choice. Every driver fuelled for the full 12-minute run, saving time by avoiding pit stops. Piastri set the early pace ahead of Sainz, before Verstappen briefly went quickest.

With track evolution high, the final laps were all that mattered. Norris strung together a superb effort to go fastest by a sizeable margin. Verstappen responded, snatching provisional pole by 0.039s, but Norris was still on a flyer. Purple sectors followed and he crossed the line with a 1m 47.934s to reclaim pole for McLaren.

Sainz secured P3 ahead of George Russell, while Piastri ended only fifth after a scruffy final lap. Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, Leclerc and Gasly completed the top ten.

The session offered a rare shake-up, with eight teams represented in Q3 and many established names caught out by the conditions. As the grid prepares for Saturday’s race under the Las Vegas lights, all eyes will be on Norris and Verstappen at the front – and on whether the weather might spring another surprise.