McLaren’s Lando Norris snatched a crucial pole position at the rain-lashed Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.323 seconds.
Norris’s performance puts significant pressure on title rival and teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished fifth.
The challenging wet conditions saw Norris dominate Q3 on intermediate tyres, securing his third consecutive pole.
With three races left, Norris currently leads Piastri by 24 points; if results hold, his lead would extend to 39 points.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz took a strong third place.
The session delivered a major upset as Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q1, qualifying 20th and last on outright pace after struggling to generate tyre heat.
Norris called the session “stressful as hell,” acknowledging the treacherous conditions that felt “like driving on ice.”
