LAS VEGAS – Lando Norris seized the pole position for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix in a dramatic, rain-affected qualifying session, setting the stage for a pivotal race wiht just three events remaining in the Formula 1 season. The McLaren driver’s performance shakes up the championship battle, positioning him to perhaps overtake Oscar Piastri for the lead. Qualifying also saw a surprising early exit for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who reported issues with his Ferrari.
Lando Norris secured his third consecutive pole position in a rain-soaked qualifying session for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, edging out reigning champion Max Verstappen in a thrilling battle on the slick track. The McLaren driver clocked a time of 1m47s 934/1000, besting Verstappen’s 1m48s 247. The qualifying results shake up the championship standings with just three Grand Prix and one sprint race remaining, offering 58 points up for grabs.
Verstappen currently sits third in the championship, 24 points behind Oscar Piastri, who qualified fifth after a late-session off-track excursion at Turn 12 while attempting to pass Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls. The incident cost Piastri a potentially faster lap time.
Norris leads the championship with a 24-point advantage over Piastri and a 49-point lead over Verstappen. He now has the advantage of starting from the front of the grid on Sunday (1:00 AM Argentina time) and can strategically manage the race. Piastri, starting from the third row alongside Carlos Sainz of Williams and George Russell of Mercedes, will face a tougher challenge to move up the order.
Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly both advanced to Q2, as anticipated following Friday night’s FP2 session in Las Vegas. Colapinto qualified 11th, with a time of 1m54s 847/1000, while Gasly finished 5th in Q1 with a 1m54s 432/1000.
Using extreme wet tires for much of qualifying, Colapinto recorded a time of 1m54s 847/1000, and Gasly managed 1m54s 432/1000. The changeable track conditions led to several drivers utilizing the escape roads, preventing major incidents and minimizing yellow flags.
A surprising elimination in Q1 was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who struggled with his Ferrari, stating it was “un-driveable.” His teammate, Charles Leclerc, managed to reach Q3. Reports indicated Hamilton ran over a bollard, lodging it under his car and causing significant issues. It marked the first time Hamilton has been last in qualifying without a mechanical issue or crash.
Another unexpected elimination was Italian driver Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who finished second in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
In Q2, Colapinto had two attempts at a fast lap on intermediate tires. His first attempt was compromised when he touched a curb in Turn 15, nearly causing a spin. His second attempt, hampered by a lack of battery power, resulted in him running wide in the penultimate corner and into the escape road. The stewards deleted his lap time, ending his chances of reaching Q3. Colapinto shared his thoughts with ESPN after the session:
“–How was that qualifying? Was it possible to get to Q3?”
“–Yeah, my penultimate lap was good, I was dropping a lot of time, (almost) a second, and I touched the piano in the antepenultimate corner, and the car got sideways. After that, I didn’t have battery for the last lap, the tire (was already) very hot, I couldn’t do the last lap. It’s a shame, because that lap was pretty good, I don’t know if (I could have been) tenth, but eleventh I would have been for sure. It was a difficult ‘qualy,’ I think (a) good experience… (there was) very little grip and a lot of spray. The tire overheated a lot. Tomorrow we will work to be better.”
“–You were there, to get to Q3…”
“–Yeah, well, it’s a shame we didn’t make it in the end, but I think we were closer than in the dry, and that’s good. We need to understand a bit the problem we have in the dry, but in the rain we were a little better.”
Despite his disappointment, Colapinto noted progress in both his performance and the car’s setup. Alex Albon (Williams), who crashed into the wall, Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) were also eliminated in Q1.
Pierre Gasly continued his strong performance, qualifying seventh in Q2, just 825/1000 of a second behind session leader George Russell.
In Q3, on intermediate tires, Gasly struggled to get the tires to their optimal temperature and secured a 10th-place starting position.
Charles Leclerc’s ninth-place finish in Q3 was also a surprise, with the Racing Bulls demonstrating superior traction and setup compared to Ferrari. Liam Lawson qualified sixth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in seventh and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) in eighth. Racing Bulls is currently sixth in the constructors’ championship and aims to secure that position against Aston Martin and Haas.
The changing weather conditions dictated the outcome of qualifying, although the third practice session earlier in the afternoon in Las Vegas was more representative.
George Russell set the fastest time in FP3 with a lap of 1m34s 054/1000, followed by Max Verstappen at 277/1000. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris focused on testing with high fuel loads and didn’t push for fast times, finishing 19th and 20th, respectively.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was visibly pleased, announcing he had sold 15% of his stake in the AMG-Petronas-Mercedes team for $300 million, valuing the team at $6 billion. The buyer is George Kurtz, a friend of Wolff’s, a successful GT racer, and the principal shareholder of cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike.
Colapinto finished 16th in FP3, just over 7/10 of a second behind Gasly, who was ninth at 1s 508/1000 behind Russell. Sparks flew as the underfloor of some cars scraped against the track surface with the dry pavement.
Following the Brazilian Grand Prix, the FIA discreetly mandated that several unidentified teams remove titanium skid blocks from the underside of their cars. These blocks must be flush with the wooden plank. When heated, they expand, allowing the chassis to run closer to the ground without wearing the wood and maintaining the regulatory thickness. Excessive wear to the car’s floor led to Hamilton’s disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this year.
That issue has not resurfaced in Las Vegas. Teams are now focused on strategizing for the Grand Prix. Rain is forecast for around 7:00 PM local time on Saturday in Nevada, but the track is expected to be dry, or nearly so, by the 8:00 PM local start time (1:00 AM Sunday in Argentina).
Norris, poised to claim the championship lead, will need to determine how to race – against Verstappen’s all-out attack or Piastri’s charge from further back on the grid?
