Image: from Umar Cheema X@UmaronCars
By José Carlos Palma
Lando Norris will start from pole position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a dramatic qualifying session on Saturday, November 22, in Nevada. The McLaren driver, who leads the championship, produced a late flyer to edge out Max Verstappen, who will line up alongside him in second, while Carlos Sainz in the Williams secured third, opening the second row.
This marks Norris’s seventh pole of the season, the 16th of his career, and his third consecutive pole in 2025—a personal best. It is also McLaren’s first pole at the Las Vegas circuit, following previous poles by Charles Leclerc in 2023 and George Russell in 2024. Russell, the 2024 pole sitter and race winner, will start fourth. Completing the top ten are Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Isack Hadjar, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly.
The session began under wet conditions, with rain and a slippery track prompting most drivers to start on full wet tires, while a few gambled on intermediates. The gamble proved costly for Verstappen and Hadjar, who both slid off track. Early on, Alonso led the timing sheets, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, before Lance Stroll surged into the top spot with a 2:00.067.
Q1 saw tense battles as drivers jostled for survival in the 18-minute session. Bortoleto struggled, ultimately being eliminated alongside Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Kimi Antonelli, and Yuki Tsunoda. Albon suffered a dramatic crash in the final seconds, destroying his Williams suspension.
Q2 intensified as the track gradually dried. Norris set the early benchmark with 1:53.302, with Russell, Stroll, Lawson, and Verstappen all in contention. As conditions improved, times dropped further, and the battle for Q3 survival saw Ocon, Hulkenberg, Hadjar, Gasly, and Colapinto eliminated.
In Q3, with the track still damp, drivers opted for intermediates. Norris produced a late 1:47.934 to secure pole, narrowly ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. Russell and Piastri rounded out the top five, setting the stage for an exciting race under challenging Las Vegas conditions.
Starting Grid – Las Vegas GP 2025
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Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1:47.934
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Honda RBPT), 1:48.257
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Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1:48.296
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George Russell (Mercedes), 1:48.803
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1:48.961
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Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT), 1:49.062
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Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes), 1:49.466
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Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT), 1:49.554
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1:49.872
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Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Renault), 1:51.540
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Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber/Ferrari), 1:52.781
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Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes), 1:52.850
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Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1:52.987
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Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1:53.094
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Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Renault), 1:53.683
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Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1:56.220
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Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1:56.314
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Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber/Ferrari), 1:56.674
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Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull/Honda RBPT), 1:56.798
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Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1:57.115
Norris’s pole sets up a thrilling showdown in Las Vegas, with wet-weather strategy and championship implications adding to the stakes in the desert.