🔗 Share this article

McLaren's Lando Norris produced a brilliant lap in difficult rainy conditions on the Las Vegas street circuit, securing the top spot for the upcoming Grand Prix and moving a important step closer to his first F1 world championship.

Championship Race Intensifies as Leader Increases Advantage

The championship frontrunner beat Max Verstappen, who secured second place, while his nearest competitor—teammate Piastri—could only manage fifth position, giving Norris a golden opportunity to widen his lead in the championship.

Williams' Carlos Sainz took third, with Mercedes' George Russell ending up in fourth.

Hamilton Endures Dismal Session in Las Vegas

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton had a difficult session, finishing in 20th place after struggling to make the tyres to perform in the wet weather during Q1 and getting unlucky with a late caution.

The Ferrari has faced problems activating tires in wet conditions throughout the year, but Charles Leclerc performed more successfully, ending up in ninth place and recording a time three seconds faster than Hamilton in the first qualifying segment.

"The full-wet tyre was as bad as it gets," Hamilton said. "Visibility was zero. I believe I made contact with the barrier somewhere. I just couldn't even see the corners."

Following displaying strong speed in the last practice, he was very disappointing again in what has been a trying first season with Ferrari.

"Today was amazing," he commented. "I missed my final lap opportunity. I felt like we were quickest and then you come out of qualifying 20th. This year is definitely the hardest year."

Lando Norris Executes When It Counted

In his case, as he attempts to claim his first F1 championship, he did exactly what was required by not only taking the top spot but also importantly beating his teammate on a track where McLaren had anticipated to struggle.

He currently leads the Australian by 24 points and Max Verstappen by 49 points. Currently, ending up in front of his teammate in the last 3 races would be enough to claim the title.

In fact, if he can increase his advantage to twenty-six points by the end of the next round in Abu Dhabi, it would be enough to win the championship at that venue.

Strong Form Persists for McLaren

He remains very much on a winning streak, finding his rhythm with the car at a vital moment in the title race, just as his teammate has floundered.

Norris was thirty-four points behind his teammate after the Dutch GP in the summer, but from that point he has returned repeatedly strong finishes, including pole position and wins in the previous two races in Mexico and Brazil—sufficient to shift the title fight in his favour.

McLaren Defies Expectations in Vegas

The driver and his team had played down their chances for the weekend in Nevada, on a circuit that is not ideal for their car due to low grip and cold conditions, and the squad had not finished above sixth in the previous two events here.

Yet, they showed excellent performance in qualifying in the rain this occasion.

Difficult Weather Challenge Competitors

Qualifying opened in steady rain, which made what is inherently a slippery surface in cold weather an major challenge, marking the first time qualifying has been held in the wet in Las Vegas and requiring the use of rain tires.

Indeed, on his opening forays, Norris expressed his concern as he ran off track. "Hydroplaning," he said. "I can't keep it on the track."

Session Unfolds with Excitement

However, as the precipitation eased off, the track began to dry quickly on the ideal path and the times came down.

Still, the margins were fine, as Alex Albon discovered when he was caught out on his last lap in Q1, hitting the wall and causing harm that ended his session in 16th.

The rain ceased, but the track was still difficult to handle for the remainder of the qualifying, and with rain tires still being used, the drivers remained on track and kept putting in times as the drying path got better and the laptimes dropped.

Last attempts were vital, with the Australian barely advancing to Q2 in tenth place.

Exciting Conclusion to Qualifying

In the final segment, the squads changed to intermediate tires, once more remaining on track and pounding out laps, making timing essential for a final lap shootout.

Pole position switched repeatedly as the clock wound down, with Norris setting a preliminary time with his nose in front before the final hot laps.

Max Verstappen then grabbed the top spot as he completed his final attempt, but following him, Norris was on a push and, even with a major moment through turns 14, 15 and 16, had already done enough for a mighty pole position with a lap of one minute 47.934 seconds.

Norris was untouchable with a yellow flag in his aftermath as Leclerc ran off and Piastri also had to take evasive action to steer clear of another driver.