Norris Secures Pole in Wet Las Vegas GP Qualifying

Lando Norris secured pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday night, marking his third consecutive front-row start and seventh of the 2025 Formula 1 season, as he seeks to extend his championship lead entering the third-to-last race of the year.

The McLaren driver posted a lap time of 1 minute, 47.934 seconds in the first wet qualifying session ever held at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, finishing three tenths ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who will start second. Conditions turned chaotic with heavy rain soaking the track during Q1, forcing drivers into survival mode amid standing water and slippery surfaces. Norris, who began the session in 13th place as grip levels plummeted, improved as the weather eased, ultimately claiming the top spot.

"It's stressful, stressful as hell," Norris said after the session, describing the constant near-misses. "I didn't know no one else was going to get a lap after me. I felt like the first two sectors were good, but it's so slippery out there. As soon as you hit the kerb a little bit wrong, you snap one way, you lose the car the other way, close to hitting the wall but good enough for P1 today."