Las Vegas GP 2025
NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Qualifying Report - Norris takes wet Las Vegas pole
© McLaren
Lando Norris mastered a treacherously wet Las Vegas Strip Circuit to secure pole position for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, ending qualifying with a 1m47.934s lap on intermediates that edged Max Verstappen by 0.323s. The McLaren driver pieced together his final attempt with two purple sectors and survived a sharp slide through the Turn 14-15-16 sequence to bank a time that proved unreachable as conditions worsened again.
Verstappen, who had briefly held provisional pole with a 1m48.257s, lacked grip in the final sector on his last push. The Red Bull driver nonetheless ended 0.039s clear of Carlos Sainz, whose 1m48.296s secured third for Williams, though he must visit the stewards for allegedly rejoining unsafely in Q1. George Russell followed with a 1m48.803s, unable to replicate last year’s pole in similar conditions for Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri will start fifth after a muted session, having followed Charles Leclerc into the Turn 12 runoff and abandoning what had been a promising final lap. His 1m48.961s still led an all-Oceanic third row, joined by Liam Lawson, who delivered one of the strongest qualifying performances of his Racing Bulls tenure with a 1m49.062s effort for sixth.
Fernando Alonso’s measured 1m49.466s placed the Aston Martin seventh, and he narrowly held off Isack Hadjar, whose 1m49.554s kept him within striking distance of Lawson after showing bursts of front-running pace earlier in the session. Leclerc’s own Turn 12 moment prevented him from improving, leaving the Ferrari driver ninth on 1m49.872s. Pierre Gasly completed the top 10 with a 1m51.540s, having been the last driver to cross the line in Q2 to eliminate Nico Hülkenberg.
Hulkenberg will share the sixth row with Lance Stroll, whose switch to intermediates mid-Q2 failed to yield the expected grip as the track’s slow drying rate caught several teams out. Both Haas drivers fell in Q2, including Oliver Bearman, who had earlier brushed the Turn 14 wall amid heavy aquaplaning. Franco Colapinto also slid wide at Turn 15 and could do no better than 15th.
Q1 produced the day’s biggest drama. Alex Albon, having just logged a purple opening sector, clipped the Turn 16 wall and dropped out. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto could not find late improvements, while Yuki Tsunoda was also eliminated. Lewis Hamilton ended the session 20th after collecting a bollard at Turn 14, compromising what had been a strong first run.