Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
lando norris Ticked another box in an attempt to win f1 By mastering the wet qualifying session to secure pole position for the World Championships vegas Grand Prix.
In treacherous conditions on the Strip, Norris suffered defeat max verstappen by 0.323 seconds, while oscar piastri – Norris’ closest title challenger – could only finish fifth.
carlos saenz Williams finished third, one place ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Lewis hamiltonA nightmare start to the season for Ferrari took a catastrophic turn after qualifying in 20th and last place.
Norris leads McLaren teammate Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49 points, with 83 points to play for in the final three rounds. He will head into Saturday’s showbiz race in Nevada in the best position to extend his title lead and potentially be crowned world champion as early as next weekend in Qatar.
Norris had won from pole at the last two rounds in Mexico and Brazil and it was another great performance from the in-form Englishman. He was one second faster than Piastri in the second McLaren.
“It was extremely stressful,” Norris said. “There is so much slip that as soon as you hit the curb you break the car but it was good enough for P1.
“I had a nap before qualifying, and I expected it to be dry and I woke up and saw it was wet.
“I thought: ‘Oh crap, this isn’t going to be right.’ When this happens it is very easy to crash so it is beneficial to be on pole.
“The pace has been good all weekend. I didn’t expect to be as fast as I was in the wet. It’s going to be an interesting race there with Max. Hopefully we can have a good race.”
it will also happen hamilton After his disappointing debut campaign at the Red, he was dealt another blow as he finished the slowest of all 20 drivers.
hamilton George Russell was 3.97 seconds slower than the Mercedes who set the pace in Q1, and 2.3 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate Charles LeclercThis is one of the worst qualifying performances hamilton19 season career.
Top-10 – 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. Isaac Hadjar – Racing Bulls
9. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
10. Pierre Gasly – Alpine
“I couldn’t get the tires on,” said one frustrated man hamilton As he went back towards the pits.
The latest chapter of Hamilton’s year of forgetfulness came 11 days after he was told by Ferrari chairman John Elkann to “talk less and concentrate more on his driving”.
Apart from his sprint win at the second round in China, his switch from Mercedes to Ferrari has failed to live up to its blockbuster billing.
At the previous event in Brazil he was eliminated in Q2, and then collided with the back of Franco Colapinto on the first lap, causing damage that forced him to retire.
Hamilton trailed Leclerc by 66 points in the standings, and his confidence here – in conditions he had often mastered – appeared to fail as he failed to register a lap of any significance.
He has been out-qualified by Leclerc 17 times so far this year. The Monegasque will start Saturday’s race from ninth.
When Hamilton, 40, was asked about his overwhelming feeling, he said: “I don’t really have an answer. It obviously feels terrible; it doesn’t feel good. I just have to let it go and try and come back tomorrow.
“I did everything I could in terms of preparation. I felt like after practice we were the fastest, and then you end up qualifying 20th, and this year is definitely the hardest year.
“We have a fast car. But it will be really difficult to come back from last.”