- F1
F1 live updates from the Las Vegas Strip Circuit with Norris on top and title rival Oscar Piastri struggling again
Kieran JacksonFormula 1 CorrespondentSaturday 22 November 2025 08:30 GMTComments
CloseLando Norris reveals mentality ahead of final three F1 races of 2025 seasonLando Norris ticked off another box in his bid to win the F1 world championship by mastering a wet qualifying session to secure pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
In treacherous conditions on the Strip, Norris saw off Max Verstappen by 0.323 seconds, while Oscar Piastri – Norris’ closest title challenger – could manage only fifth.
Carlos Sainz took third for Williams, one place ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Lewis Hamilton’s nightmare debut season for Ferrari took a catastrophic twist after he qualified 20th and last.
Norris leads McLaren team-mate Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49, with 83 points to play for across the concluding three rounds. He will start Saturday’s showbiz race in Nevada in the best position to extend his title advantage, with a view to potentially being crowned champion of the world as early as next weekend in Qatar.
Follow live coverage of the Las Vegas GP with The Independent
Recommended
Lewis Hamilton hits new F1 career low after qualifying dead last for Las Vegas GP
F1 grid: Starting positions for Las Vegas GP
When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
F1 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Las Vegas GP starts at 4am (GMT) on Sunday morning
- Lando Norris starts on pole; Verstappen 2nd; Sainz 3rd
- Lewis Hamilton starts dead-last after a disastrous qualifying session
- Norris can take a giant step towards F1 world title
- READ: The cold truth behind Ferrari’s F1 struggles
What is the start time for the Las Vegas Grand Prix?
The Vegas street race will start at 4am (GMT) on Sunday morning, which is 10pm local time.
Lando Norris is on pole (AP)Read moreKieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:04When can Lando Norris win the 2025 F1 world championship?
The next race in Las Vegas is a traditional race weekend, with no sprint race, meaning a maximum of 25 points are up for grabs. After Vegas, there will be just 58 points left on the table.
If Norris wins in Sin City and Piastri fails to score, the Briton’s lead would be 49 points, so he can’t claim the world championship in Vegas.
However, by the end of the final sprint race of the year at the penultimate round in Qatar, Piastri would need to be within 50 points of his McLaren teammate in order to stand a mathematical chance of catching him.
Therefore, the earliest Norris can win the title is the sprint race in Qatar on Saturday 29 November.
Norris and Piastri (Getty Images)Kieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:30Lewis Hamilton hits new F1 career low after qualifying dead last for Las Vegas GP
Lewis Hamilton endured a new F1 career low at the Las Vegas Grand Prix as he qualified slowest in the field for the first time in his career on pure pace.
In treacherous wet conditions on the Vegas strip, Hamilton struggled throughout as the whole grid eventually switched to full-wet tyres, rarely used in modern-day F1.
Yet Hamilton – who has recorded some of his best-ever victories in wet conditions – could not optimise his Ferrari car and will start the race in 20th, having ended up 2.3 seconds slower than teammate Charles Leclerc.
Full story and quotes below:
Lewis Hamilton hits new F1 career low after qualifying dead last for Las Vegas GP
The 40-year-old British driver, without a podium this year, struggled in wet conditions under the Vegas lightsKieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:20Top-10 - F1 Las Vegas GP qualifying
1. Lando Norris - McLaren
2. Max Verstappen - Red Bull
3. Carlos Sainz - Williams
4. George Russell - Mercedes
5. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
6. Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
7. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
8. Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
9. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
10. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
Kieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:13Lando Norris after 'stressful as hell' qualifying
“It was stressful as hell,” said Norris. “It is so slippery out there that as soon as you hit the kerb you snap the car but it was good enough for P1.
“I had a nap before qualifying, and I was expecting it to be dry and I woke up and saw it was wet.
“I thought: ‘Oh crap this is not going to well’. It is so easy to crash when it is like this so it is rewarding to be on pole.
“The pace has been good all weekend. I didn’t expect to be as quick as I was in the wet. It is going to be an interesting race with Max up there. Hopefully we can have a good race.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris continued his march towards the world title in Las Vegas (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)Kieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:07F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix - qualifying
Lando Norris ticked off another box in his bid to win the F1 world championship by mastering a wet qualifying session to secure pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
In treacherous conditions on the Strip, Norris saw off Max Verstappen by 0.323 seconds, while Oscar Piastri – Norris’ closest title challenger – could manage only fifth.
Carlos Sainz took third for Williams, one place ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Lewis Hamilton’s nightmare debut season for Ferrari took a catastrophic twist after he qualified 20th and last.
Norris leads McLaren team-mate Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49, with 83 points to play for across the concluding three rounds. He will start Saturday’s showbiz race in Nevada in the best position to extend his title advantage, with a view to potentially being crowned champion of the world as early as next weekend in Qatar.
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson22 November 2025 08:02More about
Lando NorrisLewis HamiltonOscar PiastriMax VerstappenLas Vegas Grand PrixJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments
.png?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=0%2C115%2C0%2C85)