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Norris Conquers Vegas: Third Straight Pole Amid Rain-Soaked Drama

Lando Norris showed incredible skill in the wet to claim pole position in Las Vegas. He was nearly three-tenths faster than Max Verstappen in challenging conditions. Carlos Sainz continued his strong qualifying form by securing third place ahead of George Russell. Meanwhile, championship rival Oscar Piastri had to settle for fifth after a run-off incident during his final lap.

Key Points: Norris Takes Las Vegas GP Pole Ahead of Verstappen and Sainz

  • Norris dominates wet conditions for third straight pole position
  • Verstappen qualifies second despite Norris's three-tenth advantage
  • Sainz continues strong qualifying form ahead of Mercedes' Russell
  • Piastri settles for fifth after run-off incident with Hadjar
2 min read

Norris takes Las Vegas GP pole ahead of Verstappen and Sainz in rain-hit session

Lando Norris secures third consecutive pole in rain-hit Las Vegas GP qualifying, beating Verstappen and Sainz while championship rival Piastri finishes fifth.

"1m 47.934s was nearly three-tenths faster than Verstappen - Qualifying Report"

Las Vegas, Nov 22

Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the McLaren driver and Drivers' Championship leader mastering wet conditions to finish ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz while title rival Oscar Piastri settled for fifth.

It marks three consecutive pole positions for Norris, whose 1m 47.934s was nearly three-tenths faster than Verstappen during a Qualifying session which remained wet throughout.

Williams' Sainz put in another strong Qualifying performance and finished ahead of George Russell, the Mercedes driver having topped both Q1 and Q2 sessions in the worst of the conditions.

Piastri was left in fifth having gone into the run-off area at Turn 12 on his final effort after going wheel-to-wheel with Isack Hadjar's Racing Bulls.

The second Racing Bulls machine of Liam Lawson finished P6, as the top-10 was completed by Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, Hadjar, Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, which also ran deep at Turn 12 on his final effort, and Pierre Gasly's Alpine.

Kick Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg missed the cut for Q3 after finishing P11 in the middle segment of Qualifying, ahead of Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), the two Haas' of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, as well as Alpine's Franco Colapinto.

Alex Albon was eliminated in Q1 after hitting the barrier on the exit of Turn 16 in the final minutes which broke the front-right suspension on his Williams.

He was joined in the drop zone by Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, as Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finished last of the 20 runners, the seven-time World Champion unable to extract performance on the wet tyre.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Hamilton finishing last is heartbreaking for us Indian fans who've supported him for years. Hope he bounces back in the race. The wet conditions really mixed things up!
R
Rohit P
Sainz showing great consistency in qualifying! Though I wish we had an Indian driver in F1 to cheer for. The timing is terrible for us in India - 4:30 AM start! But worth losing sleep over 😴
S
Sarah B
While the racing is exciting, I do wish F1 would consider better timings for Asian viewers. Many of us in India are passionate fans but these late night/early morning timings are challenging for working professionals.
V
Vikram M
Norris vs Verstappen championship battle is getting intense! Perfect for Diwali weekend entertainment here in Mumbai. Hope the race is as thrilling as qualifying was.
K
Karthik V
Albon's crash was unfortunate. As someone who follows F1 from Bangalore, it's impressive how these drivers handle such pressure in wet conditions. Can't wait for the race!

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