Qualifying Results & Report 2025 Las Vegas F1 GP

Event: Las Vegas Grand Prix
Track: Las Vegas Strip Circuit

Weather: dry 11°C
Tarmac: dry 12°C
Humidity: 67%
Wind: 3.2 km/h South

Lando Norris scored the 16th F1 pole position of his career during the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying session today. The British driver will start from P1 for the first time on the Strip. It was his 7th pole this season and the 176th for the Mercedes F1 team in total.

Norris Masters the Vegas Downpour: A Wild, Wet & Absolutely Bonkers Qualifying Night

A Strip-Side Spectacle Under Water

The Las Vegas Strip promised drama, neon flair and showmanship – and Qualifying for the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered all of that with a fire hose pointed at the track. Under the glowing casino lights and relentless rain, the grid was tossed, turned and reshuffled like a blackjack deck as drivers fought aquaplaning, visibility and tyres that refused to switch on.

When the spray finally settled, Lando Norris emerged as the ace of the night, claiming pole with a lap that looked like he’d found grip no one else knew existed. Behind him: Max Verstappen, hungry and razor sharp, and Carlos Sainz, absolutely thriving in conditions where even the bravest were wobbling. Oscar Piastri? Fifth – and looking every inch like a driver who knows he just handed his title rival another loaded weapon.

Norris Survives the Storm

Norris didn’t just take pole – he survived for pole. In conditions where 18 of the 20 drivers complained about tyres, balance or visibility, the McLaren man looked oddly composed. A nap before Qualifying, a groan when he saw the downpour, and then… perfection. His final lap – a 1:47.934 – put him over three tenths clear of Verstappen.

The Brit admitted afterwards that he thought nobody else behind him would even finish their laps. And honestly? He wasn’t far wrong. The final minutes were chaos, with Leclerc running wide, Piastri backing out, and Russell drifting through corners like a man searching for grace in a storm gutter.

McLaren came into Vegas expecting a fight. They leave Q3 with a statement.

Verstappen Fights Back in Classic Max Style

Max Verstappen looked like he’d rather be anywhere except on cold intermediate tyres in downtown Vegas, but the moment the track began to come to him, he was back in his natural habitat: hunting the limit.

It took him ages to light up those tyres, but once the Dutchman found a temperature window – however microscopic – he was instantly in the pole conversation. He’ll start P2, and if Sunday is dry as forecast, he may be Norris’ most relentless shadow all the way down the Strip.

Sainz Stars for Williams – Then Heads to the Stewards

Carlos Sainz once said he likes driving on “tricky surfaces.” Well, this was less tricky and more “survive or swim.” And yet he shone.

From the first lap in Q1 he looked wired-in. Confident. Even optimistic. Williams rolled into Vegas expecting to be strong, and Sainz repaid that faith with a heroic P3 – outqualifying Ferrari, Red Bull’s second car, and his own teammate by a mile.

The only cloud? He’ll face the stewards for a messy moment with Stroll, after rejoining the circuit in what Aston Martin described as “a bit of a surprise.” Williams fans will be praying for leniency. Piastri fans… not so much.

Piastri Slips, and the Championship Story Shifts Again

If there was one defining blow tonight, it was Piastri’s failure to convert pace into position. He scraped through Q2 by the skin of a wet intermediate tyre, and when Q3 came, he finally had a chance to strike back at Norris.

But the moment mattered – and he blinked. Whether it was Leclerc’s yellow flags or simply an error, the Australian abandoned his final lap and found himself down in fifth. Between him and Norris on the grid? Verstappen. Russell. Sainz. A wall of very fast, very stubborn men.

Norris now holds the upper hand not only on points, but on track.

Russell Quietly Builds Another Vegas Threat

George Russell loves Las Vegas, and Las Vegas seems to love him back. The Mercedes man was a quiet menace tonight: smooth on the wets, clever on the inters, calm through chaos. He starts P4 and very much looks like a spoiler for Sunday.

If the race is dry? He’s in with a real shout.

His teammate Antonelli had a rougher day. The teenager just couldn’t extract grip when the track was at its worst and was sent packing in Q1. He’ll start 17th on a night that could have been so much more.

Ferrari’s Night Turns Sour

Ferrari entered Qualifying with genuine cause for optimism. Leclerc looked competitive, Hamilton had impressed in the mixed conditions earlier in FP3, and their pace at this circuit last year suggested they could fight at the front.

And then reality slapped them across the face.

First, Hamilton never got his tyres switched on. Then he ran wide, clipped a bollard, possibly lodged it underneath the car, and aborted his final lap. Result: P20. Last. Slowest. Gone.

Leclerc fared better but still missed out massively, struggling with a razor-thin rear wing and a car that refused to behave in the spray. He ended up ninth – and deeply frustrated.

Elimination Carnage: Q1 & Q2 Mayhem

The elimination rounds were a scenery of sliding, darting and occasionally praying. Here are the biggest storylines:

Q1 Shock: Lewis Hamilton, Out in P20
On a night built for wet-weather wizards, the rain magician himself crashed out early.

Q1 Also Eliminated:
– Albon (after brushing the wall)
– Antonelli
– Bortoleto
– Tsunoda

Q2 Surprise Casualties:
– Hulkenberg
– Stroll (whose intermediate gamble backfired spectacularly)
– Ocon
– Bearman (kissed the wall, needed repairs)
– Colapinto

Notably, only McLaren and Racing Bulls managed to get both cars into Q3. That alone tells you everything about how treacherous this session was.

The Vegas Grid Is Set – And It’s Gloriously Chaotic

With Norris on pole, Verstappen breathing down his neck, and Sainz and Russell lurking behind, the front of the grid looks electric. Add Piastri starting fifth and Leclerc ninth, and Sunday’s race could be a championship-defining spectacle.

And dark horses? Liam Lawson, superb in the wet, lines up sixth and may just ruin somebody’s evening under the neon lights.

Looking Ahead to the Race

If the forecasts hold, the race will be dry. That means:

– A green track
– Zero high-fuel practice
– A jittery field
– And Lando Norris leading the championship with a perfect chance to extend it

Meanwhile, Piastri faces the task of his life. Hamilton starts last. Sainz may or may not collect a penalty. And Verstappen is Verstappen – which is to say: always dangerous.

Vegas delivered everything in Qualifying. The race? It might just go one better.

Qualifying Times 2025 Las Vegas GP

Last year George Russell was quickest in qualifying. That British driver then clocked a 1:32.312 min with the Mercedes W16 in dry conditions.

✅ Check out our 2025 Las Vegas Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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