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Lando Norris took another big step towards his maiden world title as he survived treacherous wet conditions in Las Vegas to put his car on pole for Saturday night’s big race in Sin City.
But there was less good news for his compatriot Lewis Hamilton, whose miserable debut season at Ferrari continued as he qualified dead last for the first time in his career.
Norris, who has won the last two races in Mexico and Brazil to assume control of the title race, will have Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for company on the front row of the grid. McLaren team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, will start fifth.
Norris rode his luck a bit in a rain-affected session, surviving a big sideways moment on his final lap to claim pole by three tenths from Verstappen. But it was that sort of session. Everyone was on the edge in terms of grip, with the cold temperatures and the spray making conditions absolutely treacherous.
“Boy, it was stressful,” Norris admitted. “Stressful as hell. It was so slippery out there.
“I was actually having a little nap before quali and I was expecting it to be dry and I woke up and saw it was raining and thought ‘Oh crap, this is not going to go well’. After Q1, every corner you felt like you could crash.”
The rain played havoc from the start with drivers forced to decide between intermediate tyres or full wets.
It rapidly became obvious that full wets were the way to go but, even with them on, the cars slipped and slid all over the place. Haas’s Ollie Bearman went straight on, Williams’s Alexander Albon hit a wall. There was jeopardy everywhere.
ALEX ALBON HITS THE WALL… but makes it back to the garage! 😱#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/gyWJTJ3KhL
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Hamilton, once so quick in the wet, was unable to master the conditions. It was thought that he might have hit a cone on his final lap in Q1 but the seven-time champion did not seek to blame his failure to go through on that, admitting afterwards that he “didn’t really have an answer” as to why he was so slow.
His result was doubly disappointing because both he and team mate Charles Leclerc looked competitive in practice. Leclerc eventually qualified ninth, sliding off on his final lap.
“It obviously feels horrible, it doesn’t feel good,” admitted Hamilton who now trails Leclerc 17-5 in qualifying this year. “I just have to let it go by and try to come back tomorrow.
“I have done everything I could possibly do in terms of preparation. I felt like we were quickest after practice, and then you come out and qualify 20th. We have a quick car. But it will be really hard to come back from 20th.”
Piastri will have Williams’s Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’s George Russell directly ahead of him in third and fourth respectively.
The Australian, who trails Norris by 24 points in the title race, would have hoped for more. But it could have been far worse for him. He only just snuck into Q3 in 10th place.
By the time the top-10 shoot-out took place the rain had stopped, with drivers all opting for intermediate tyres, but it was still very sketchy. The drivers struggled to keep their cars on the racing line and off the white lines and kerbs. Those who managed to do so could expect to lower their times significantly. And as the drivers came around for the final time, the times were rapidly tumbling.
First Sainz took provisional pole, then Verstappen, before Norris beat them both, surviving a very hairy moment at turn 14 where his car briefly went sideways. He seemed rather surprised he had taken pole. “No one else got a lap or what?” he asked his engineer.
He said he was looking forward to Saturday’s race and was trying not to think about the title, or the man alongside him. Verstappen, who still has an outside chance of winning a fifth straight title, has nothing to lose by going for it at turn one.
“I look forward to it,” Norris said. “I’m excited for it. We’ve been quick. I expect a battle [with Verstappen] through the whole race, but at the same time I’m here to win. I’m here to take risks and I’ll do everything I can. It’s one step at a time.”
Las Vegas Grand Prix, qualifying classification
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Oliver Bearman, Haas
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine
- Alexander Albon, Williams
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
- Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
The race tomorrow…
…is at 4am GMT. We will be here from a little after three for all the build-up and live action from Las Vegas.
Piastri reacts to a disappointing fifth place
“There was a few things at the start of the lap that didn’t go great from an operational point of view. I don’t know how much time there was in ultimately. There was more out there that we didn’t get to use.”
He thinks he can challenge in the race. For the win? He is not so sure.
Sainz reacts to a strong third
“I am always optimistic, a dream is for free and I always try to think about myself doing well. In FP3 we didn’t look very promising but we did a few changes to the car that I think help on the wet… from the first lap in Q1 every time I was finishing the lap I was P1. Happy with P3.”
Verstappen reacts
“It’s already slippery in the dry but in the wet… it’s not fun I can tell you that. I feel that maybe we were a little bit more competitive on the extreme tyre. I struggled a lot just to have any kind of grip. Final lap you risk a bit more but it was still of course by far not enough to fight for first but to be on the front row is good for us. The lap felt alright it’s just super difficult out there to be on the limit. Excited for tomorrow, I hope the inside is OK in terms of grip.”
Norris reacts to another pole
“It was stressful, stressful as hell. I didn’t know no-one else was going to get a lap after me. I knew I felt the first two sectors were good… close to hitting the wall but good enough, good enough for P1 today. Happy it’s stopped raining and we could get a good qualifying done. You need a good car to do it, I was having a little nap before quali and I was expecting it to be dry and I woke up and saw it was raining and though ‘oh crap, this is not going to go well’. After Q1, every corner you felt like you could crash.”
Piastri ran off track in Q3
There was another car on his inside, a Racing Bulls car. Not sure who was trying to do the overtaking if anyone was there. His route to the title just got a little bit harder. Another session in which he doesn’t fully deliver. Hardly a disaster but Norris is just better at the moment.
Q3 – Classification
- NOR 1:47.934
- VER +0.323
- SAI +0.362
- RUS +0.869
- PIA +1.027
- LAW +1.128
- ALO +1.532
- HAD +1.620
- LEC +1.938
- GAS +3.606
🏁LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE FOR THE 2025 LAS VEGAS GP
His fine form continues. Piastri down in fifth… that will help.
Q3 – Norris with another fine lap
Fourth for Russell, we have yellow flags somewhere. Leclerc goes off again. A big moment in the final sector for Norris but he rounds the final corner to improve by 0.323sec! Surely unbeatable now.
Piastri abandons his lap…
Q3 – Russell fastest in the first sector
How is his second sector? Not bad… not great.
Sainz on provisional pole, but Verstappen beats it! Norris is flying, though. Absolutely flying. Looking unbeatable bar a mistake.
Q3 – Top 10
- NOR 1:48.384
- PIA +0.577
- VER +0.537
- SAI +0.872
- LAW +0.983
- LEC +1.488
- RUS +1.517
- HAD +1.660
- ALO +1.963
- GAS +3.156
Q3 – Norris moves first
Now 0.752sec faster than Piastri, who crosses the line and improves… but 0.577sec off his team-mate. Leclerc down in sixth. Russell eighth but improving. Not sure he is in contention for pole after one sector. He certainly isn’t after two sectors… 1.544sec off the pace but he will get one more lap.
Q3 – It could be the last man across the line on pole
It’s not all about track conditions, of course, it is about execution. But having a drier, grippier track and warmer tyres helps a lot.
Norris is on a flyer, a second up on Piastri after two sectors. Piastri is on a better lap… but a long way down from his team-mate.
Q3 – Russell a bit off the pace
Fifth and 1.122 off what Piastri has done.
Q3 – Top 10 after the first laps
- PIA
- SAI
- NOR
- LAW
- ALO
- HAD
- LEC
- VER
- RUS
- GAS
Q3 – Drivers improving a lot now
Leclerc less so. Brakes too late and goes straight on.
A lock-up for Leclerc 😬💨
He is forced to abandon his lap after this mistake!#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/gwVEgY1wqS
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Norris improves to go into provisional pole but Piastri beats that by nearly half a second.
Q3 – Leclerc with a 1:52.060
Not setting the world alight but again, they will need to build up on the intermediates.
Hadjar beats that but neither McLaren can. Norris nearly four seconds off the pace, so just a sighter for him. Piastri with a more competitive lap but still a second down from Hadjar.
Q3 – All 10 drivers on intermediates
Seems the right choice. It wasn’t quite the right choice for Stroll in Q3, but might have been had he been able to get three flying laps in on them, rather than two.
🟢Q3 begins
Hamilton speaks to the cameras and says he did not believe he crossed the line in Q1 with enough time to complete another lap. I think he did but that explains why he simply aborted his lap. Has he ever qualified last before?
Colapinto did well here
Kept it out of the wall but could not make his way into Q3.
“Save of the week”
Colapinto somehow manages to avoid the wall! pic.twitter.com/KZe0o8AWOj
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 22, 2025
🏁Q2 ends – Russell fastest
- RUS 1:50.935
- HAD +0.185
- SAI +0.209
- NOR +0.444
- VER +0.658
- LAW +0.686
- GAS +0.825
- ALO +0.930
- LEC +1.017
- PIA +1.191
❌ HUL, STR, OCO, BEA, COL
Q2 – Bearman stays 14th
He is out. Hulkenberg stays 10th. Piastri stays ninth so is at risk here if someone can post a quick lap behind him. But that is only down to Gasly and Colapinto… so perhaps unlikely.
Russell moves fastest, Hadjar into second. Gasly is on a good lap here. Well, a decent one. Colapinto less so. I think Piastri is safe.
Q2 – Stroll crosses the line but does not improve
His final sector was his best of the session, though. Next lap could be a good one.
Piastri posts a lap time only good enough for ninth… as Norris moves fastest.
Colapinto gets a big tank-slapper on but has to abort his lap.
Verstappen aborts his lap but may get another one.
Stroll not looking likely to improve; he needs to find seconds in the final sector. Piastri improving…
Q2 – Russell out of the drop zone
Into third. Is that safe? Probably not; not necessarily anyway. What is Stroll’s first sector like? Not terrible but three seconds slower than the fastest overall. So not good, either. Can he gain time the rest of the lap? I suppose his second flying lap will be better once he gets his feel for these tyres. That said, more time lost in sector two for Stroll and he is now in the drop zone…
Q2 – A risky move for Stroll?
Jenson Button on Sky Sports thinks so. He was going so well on the wet tyres, so why change it?
Verstappen goes fastest.
Current top 10:
- VER
- HAD
- LAW
- NOR
- PIA
- SAI
- ALO
- OCO
- LEC
Russell now in the drop zone. As is Bearman.
Q2 – Piastri in P1
0.013sec faster than Verstappen. A good lap. Norris does the fastest first sector but then loses a bit of time in sector two. Lawson with a blinder, knocking Piastri into second by half a second.
Stroll has gone onto the intermediate tyres! This could be interesting. It will be.
Drivers in the drop zone: OCO, HUL, HAD, GAS, COL
Q2 – Stroll fastest
He gets a lot of stick, a lot of it fairly, but you cannot deny that he is a fine driver in these conditions. Verstappen then nudges ahead of him by a tenth and a half. Leclerc’s first lap was not great, but he has improved into the top five.
What has Piastri (below) got?
Q2 – Russell in second
Stroll third, Lawson fourth and Gasly fifth. All within 0.9sec of Norris. Verstappen then sneaks into fifth, half a second off Norris. It has now stopped raining but I am not sure when drivers will be dry enough for intermediates.
Q2 – Onboard with Norris on TV
Looks like a decent lap, from what I can see. He is at least keeping it out of the walls and there is a bit more grip than at the start of Q1. A lot more, in fact. A bit of a mess at the end of the lap but crosses the line for a 1:53.202. A bit slower than what Russell managed in Q1 but faster by two seconds than his best effort.
🟢Q2 begins!
15 minutes, 10 drivers through and five to be eliminated. Everyone at risk in these conditions, frankly.
🟢 Q2 IS UPON US 🟢
Will the second part of Quali be quite as crazy as the first? We’re about to find out… 😎#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/dp76Fd9vEd
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Q2 will start in three minutes
Could be another difficult one, even if it has stopped raining.
❗Q2 start delayed
Some barrier repairs going on. Zak Brown describes the session as “awful” and “horrific”. He says he is surprised there were not more crashes. Me too. Well done to mostly everyone for getting around without incident.
A strange moment for Leclerc
He gets into a slide and then the engine shuts down in the middle of the lap. He is, through, however. As is Bearman after his crash. I would imagine the Haas will be fine to continue, it wasn’t a heavy slide into the barriers and was totally front on.
Q1 – ⏱️Top 15
- RUS 1:53.144
- VER +0.314
- ALO +0.595
- STR +1.272
- GAS +1.288
- PIA +1.400
- HUL +1.411
- OCO +1.491
- LEC +1.670
- LAW +1.684
- COL +1.703
- SAI +1.729
- NOR +2.329
- HAD +2.469
- BEA +2.872
Q1 ends – Drivers out…
❌ALB, ANT, BOR, TSU, HAM
Hamilton, once so good in the wet, is dead last.
Q1 – Can Hamilton find time?
He needs to on this lap. Is Norris at risk? He’s in 12th… Hamilton’s lap is not a good one so I think he’s done.
Q1 – 🟨Yellow flags
And just as I say that Bearman locks up at turn 14 and slowly goes into the barriers. He will have damaged his front wing but will he be able to continue?
Another crash… Albon has had a much bigger one, his front right hanging off but he makes it into the pit lane, somehow.
ALEX ALBON HITS THE WALL… but makes it back to the garage! 😱#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/gyWJTJ3KhL
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Q1 – Final runs under way
Piastri is at risk in 14th as is Leclerc in 15th. No, scrap that… he moves fastest. Hamilton currently in 19th so needs to improve. Plenty of yellow flags but nobody has crashed yet…
Q1 – Top 10
- SAI
- RUS
- ALO
- NOR
- ALB
- ANT
- PIA
- BEA
- OCO
- LEC
Leclerc finally has a lap in. Verstappen improving and will likely improve from 13th.
Q1 – In the drop zone
Antonelli, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Bortoleto, Leclerc…
Q1 – Six mins remain
Leclerc is struggling. A lot. He slows down again in a tricky spot and nearly gets rear-ended by a car coming behind. Norris improves to go second.
Stroll improves to go fastest by half a second from Ocon but is then beaten by Sainz. Sainz is being investigated for leaving the track and rejoining unsafely…
Piastri gets himself out of the drop zone. He is now in second behind Sainz. Verstappen also sixth.
Q1 – Current top 10
- ALO
- RUS
- GAS
- BEA
- ANT
- STR
- ALB
- LAW
- HAD
- HUL
Verstappen goes straight on and is still struggling to set a lap time. 3.8sec separate the top 10. Tsunoda, Piastri, Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc are in the drop zone.
Q1 – Yellow flags…
Leclerc runs straight on at turn 14… he has yet to set a time.
Gasly leads the way from Bearman and Stroll. Verstappen has not set a time, Norris is 12th and Piastri is 18th.
Max Verstappen is in the elimination zone right now!
He hasn’t been able to set a complete lap time yet 😳#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/hiY8I89tWG
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Q1 – Stroll has his lap deleted
He was faster than Alonso after two sectors but then lost time, presumably by going off track. He then posts the fastest time on his next lap, 0.680sec faster than his team-mate.
The spray is so bad on the pit straight. I cannot imagine any driver will be enjoying this. It’s possible to shine but every corner is an event.
Piastri crosses the line with his first timed lap… 14.3sec off the pace…
Q1 – It’s a 2:03.249 for Alonso
Stroll is 1.545sec adrift. That is 30 seconds slower than they were doing in FP3. This is mad. Norris switches to the full wets and I don’t think he will be the only one.
Q1 – Gasly told to box for full wet tyres
Have we finally found the right conditions for the extreme tyres? Alonso starts his first flying lap as Piastri comes out of the pits on full wet tyres.
Q1 – It is properly wet out there
The rain isn’t torrential but the track is very wet and combined with naturally low grip. Norris says to keep an eye on the Aston Martins on the wets because it could be the right tyre in these conditions.
Piastri still in the garage, though. Rain ending in 14 minutes according to F1, but I am not sure that will make a great difference to the conditions given the low temperatures.
Q1 begins!
🟢 Green light at the end of the pit lane and we are under way. Full wet tyres for the Aston Martin cars…
🟢 Q1 IS GO! 🟢🌧️
Fernando Alonso is first in the queue, tentatively making his way out onto the damp track 👀#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/Ac0eUWldfG
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
Are we getting to the end of this session…
…without a red flag? I can’t see it in these conditions.
You don’t want to miss this! 👀
It’s almost time for Qualifying under the Vegas lights, glistening in the rain ✨#F1#LasVegasGPpic.twitter.com/pAo5QxYdj1
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 22, 2025
F1 raw pace rating
This is, in effect, how fast each team is in qualifying on average over the season. Astonishing that we have 10 teams within 1.41 per cent after 21 races.
McLaren had a run of not being the quickest team over one lap, but have now reclaimed that. Not sure they will be today.
Hamilton preparing for the wet?
Ted Kravitz on Sky Sports thinks the seven-time champion has put on more rear wing angle before a likely wet qualifying session. May not have been related to the weather exactly but it might not help.
The state of the rain
Almost certainly intermediate tyres.
Rain in the desert 🏜️☔️ pic.twitter.com/UsQ41HgCXt
— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 22, 2025
F1 constructor standings
McLaren have already wrapped up their second consecutive constructors’ title, but the battle is close for second. Better to be there than not, though I am not sure any of the teams in contention will be satisfied. The battle for sixth is more fascinating. 20 points between four teams and plenty of cash available for the team that does it. I think Williams are probably safe in fifth, though that is not guaranteed, especially if Bearman performs as he has been the last little while.
🌧️Weather in Las Vegas
Yes, it is raining again… this could be an extremely tricky qualifying session. I don’t mind it one bit, that is how it should be some times.
Current F1 driver standings
All set up nicely for the final three races. Would be nicer if it was a bit closer at the top, but three drivers still mathematically in contention heading into the final three rounds is not so bad, is it?
McLarens close in final practice
The problem that they were 19th and 20th. A tricky session for everyone, really. It started off damp, with intermediates being used, before drivers switching to slicks.
A big gap, too, between the top four – more than a second from Russell to Hadjar. What will qualifying throw up? The track, even if dry, is normally very low grip and colder than almost any other track surface. The drivers do not exactly love it.
FP3 times
- Russell, Mercedes 1:34.054
- Verstappen, Red Bull 1:34.281
- Albon, Williams 1:34.875
- Hadjar, Racing Bulls 1:35.169
- Hamilton, Ferrari 1:35.269
- Antonelli, Mercedes 1:35.385
- Lawson, Racing Bulls 1:35.439
- Stroll, Aston Martion 1:35.533
- Alonso, Aston Martin 1:35.540
- Gasly, Alpine 1:35.562
- Bearman, Haas 1:35.586
- Sainz, Williams 1:35.662
- Bortoleto, Sauber 1:35.738
- Ocon, Haas 1:35.817
- Leclerc, Ferrari 1:35.908
- Colapinto, Alpine 1:36.305
- Hulkenberg, Sauber 1:36.650
- Tsunoda, Red Bull 1:36.667
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren 1:37.023
- Lando Norris, McLaren 1:37.112
Good morning
A very early morning if you are in Europe and trying to follow along qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Or perhaps you are up to keep up with day two of the first Ashes Test and are just having a quick look at what is happening 16 time zones earlier on. Either way, welcome.
The 2025 Formula One season has moved into its final triple-header and we will, most likely, get a new world champion. Lando Norris leads his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 24 points with Max Verstappen 49 adrift.
It is impossible that Norris wins the championship this weekend (he can only get to 49 points ahead of Piastri with 58 remaining after this weekend), but it is possible that Verstappen is eliminated from contention. I would not count on that, though.
Back to the two McLaren men. Piastri has seen his 34-point lead after Zandvoort not just disappear rapidly but then start heading in the opposite direction. The Australian who was so calm and impressive in the first half of the season has become error-prone and looks just slower than Norris now. Yet a good chunk of credit needs to go to Norris, who has cut out his own errors and looks like a man on a mission.
What to expect from the third instalment of the Las Vegas Grand Prix? Hard to say really, given the unusual conditions. It is a track where the overall fastest car of the year has rarely shown its true potential so perhaps McLaren may struggle. The truth is that the top four teams are closer than ever at the moment, so get the set-up right, nail the lap and you never know. Mind you, it is not like McLaren had the ideal preparation in qualifying…
That session begins in a little under an hour and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from what could well be a crucial session in Sin City.
