F1
Front row in Sin City
Max Verstappen survived a treacherous wet and slippery qualifying session under the lights of the Las Vegas Strip to claim a front-row start alongside title rival Lando Norris.
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Hear from Max & Laurent after qualifying at Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025
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Hear from Max & Laurent after Qualifying: Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025
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FP3
Max narrowly missed out on top spot in the final hour of practice, with traffic causing the Dutch driver to go off track just as he was about to challenge the P1 time of Mercedes’ George Russell. Yuki, meanwhile, had a solid opening phase of the session, but with the damp/drying track ramping up rapidly in the final stages, a fluffed final sector meant he missed out on jumping back to the top 10 and he finished the session in P18.
At the halfway mark, the field made the switch to slick tyres and on the Softs, Max instantly shot to the top of the leaderboard. Though his position ebbed and flowed as the conditions rapidly improved, he looked to have staked a strong claim to P1 with a lap of 1:35.646.
There was still more time to be found, however, and after George eventually moved to P1 with a time of 1:34.054, Max rose back to P2, 0.227 off the Briton.
Yuki Through The Rain
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Q1
As the countdown to qualifying got underway, steady rain began to fall across the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, and when the lights went green to signal the start of Q1, the bulk of the field took to the track on Intermediate tyres, including Max and Yuki.
However, with an array of cars aquaplaning into run-off areas, including Max at Turn 14, full wet tyres became the right choice, and the session became a game of staying out of trouble and putting down the best lap times possible in difficult conditions.
Max timed his rise perfectly, claiming P2 in the session with a late flyer of 1:53.458 that was only beaten by George. Further back there was a lucky escape for championship leader Lando, who scraped through in P13.
For Yuki, however, there was no way through. The Japanese driver, unable to find time, clocked a time of 1:56.798, leaving him in P19, just ahead of the last-placed Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.
The bottom two weren’t the only major fallers, however. Williams’ Alex Albon hit the barriers late on and dropped out in 16th, while behind him, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was also headed for the exit, ahead of the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto.
Keeping An Eye On You
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Q2
The start of the second session was delayed by repairs to barriers and the clearance of debris, but although that allowed conditions to further improve as the rain ceased, full wet tyres were still the compound of choice when the 15-minute session finally commenced.
After flirting with disaster in Q1, Lando staked an early claim for top spot in Q2, and the Briton was first across the line with a 1:53.302. This held firm as George took second ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and VCARB’s Liam Lawson.
Max’s second lap was better than his first, and with a lap time of 1:52.693, he climbed to top spot. His stay was brief, however, as Oscar Piastri went 0.013s quicker to steal P1.
The track was now ramping up fast, and after Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar took turns at the top, Max climbed back to P1 with a strong lap of 1:51.593 that put him 0.447s clear of Isack.
It was George who made the most of the improving track conditions, and the Mercedes driver’s late flyer of 1:50.935 earned him top spot ahead of fellow late improvers Isack and Carlos Sainz. Lando went through in fourth place, with Max in P5 on 1:51.593, but at the edge of the top 10, it was Oscar's turn to have a narrow escape. The McLaren driver squeezed through to Q3 in 10th position, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, who was ruled out ahead of Lance Stroll, the Haas pair of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, and in 15th place, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
Max Secures 2nd Place
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Q3
First across the line for Q3 was Charles Leclerc, setting a benchmark time of 1:52.060. That was swiftly beaten by Isack and Carlos, who dropped the P1 time to 1:50:880.
Max’s opener wasn’t close to that, and as the session found its groove, the Dutchman found himself in P6. The McLaren duo of Oscar and Lando then vaulted to the top, with the Australian marginally ahead of his teammate. Max’s third lap of the session pushed him up to P2 ahead of Lando, but times were beginning to tumble as the track began to improve. Lando stretched to seven-tenths clear with a lap of 1:48.384, but the McLaren driver still had more in the tank, and he claimed pole with a lap of 1:47.934.
Max got closest to the championship leader, powering to within three-tenths of a second of the Briton. Carlos took a surprise but well-deserved third place ahead of George. Oscar, following an off on his final flyer, had to settle for fifth place, almost a second off his teammate.
Lawson delivered a fine final lap to hand VCARB P6 ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and the second VCARB of Isack Hadjar. Charles qualified in P9, and the final top 10 place went to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
The Qualifying Trio
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