Norris takes pole position in the Las Vegas rain

In a turbulent, rain-soaked qualifying session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, championship leader Lando Norris secured pole position ahead of Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen.

22 November 2025

From: apa/sn

The McLaren driver secured pole position on Friday (local time) with a 0,323-second advantage over the Red Bull star. Williams driver Carlos Sainz surprisingly qualified third. Sunday's race (5:00 AM CET) is expected to take place in dry conditions.

Norris, who had finished last in qualifying, drove to his third consecutive pole position and seventh this season in a nail-biting finish. "It was incredibly stressful. I didn't know if anyone behind me could still put in a fast lap. It was so slippery, but it was enough," said the Briton, who had overtaken Verstappen just before the end. He looked ahead to the Grand Prix in the Nevada desert with confidence. "It will be interesting. Our pace is good," added a satisfied Norris.

Verstappen wasn't having any fun

Rain specialist Verstappen certainly didn't enjoy driving on the Strip in the cold temperatures. "It was really slippery on the track. It wasn't fun at all. I like driving in the wet, but here it was like driving on ice," said the Dutchman. Sainz, meanwhile, was delighted with a surprise. "The US fans apparently love an underdog. I would have liked to give them pole position, but unfortunately it just didn't work out," said the Spaniard.

World Championship contender Oscar Piastri had to settle for fifth place on the starting grid in the second McLaren, behind last year's winner George Russell (Mercedes). The Australian admitted he was held back in the final stages. "It actually felt pretty good. But then I unfortunately got a yellow flag and then there was nothing I could do," Piastri told ServusTV.

Max Verstappen © APA/afp / PATRICK T. FALLON

The worst luck in the rain-soaked lottery at the gambling metropolis, with the track getting faster and faster, fell to record world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver will start the race from 20th and last place. The Briton was unable to complete a fast run shortly before the end of Q1 due to an accident involving Williams driver Alexander Albon. "But I didn't have any grip anyway," the seven-time world champion emphasized afterwards. Yuki Tsunoda (19th) in the second Red Bull and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli (17th) also failed to advance from Q1.

Norris has everything in his own hands.

With three race weekends remaining in the season, Norris leads Piastri by 24 points in the World Championship standings. Verstappen trails the championship leader by 49 points and therefore needs help from other drivers to secure his fifth consecutive title. Should Norris score nine more points than the Dutchman on the Strip, the four-time champion would be dethroned. A maximum of 83 points are still up for grabs in Las Vegas, at the sprint weekend in Qatar, and at the finale in Abu Dhabi.