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The World Championship is nearing its conclusion, with McLaren hoping to close the battle for the title in Las Vegas. In Nevada, Lando Norris at least has the chance to eliminate Max Verstappen from the race, which is no small feat. McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, believes that his two drivers have overcome the difficulties of adapting to a low downforce circuit, but on this type of track, Red Bull Racing has proven to be superior. Plus, there are the Mercedes, who have dominated in 2024, and a Ferrari that has achieved three podiums in two years. That’s why Norris, for once, does not feel like the favorite:
"Driving along the Strip is an absolutely fantastic experience, and I can’t wait to meet all the fans in the U.S. for the last time this season," commented the championship leader. "I’ve prepared thoroughly with the team at the McLaren Technology Centre for the final triple-header. We’re arriving in Las Vegas after working hard to get a good points haul in the last two races, showing great pace in Mexico and Brazil. It’s been a tough track for us in the past, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to get the most out of the car’s performance. I feel really good and motivated. I’m ready for this final sprint".
From holding the World Championship in his hands to no longer controlling his destiny just three races - and one Sprint Race - from the end: for Oscar Piastri, Las Vegas represents his last chance to win the title. The Australian driver is 24 points behind Lando Norris, who would maintain a 2-point advantage if he finishes second in every race. Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Piastri says there’s no point in looking back:
"Obviously, it wasn’t nice to see the lead I had in the standings slip away, but looking back and dwelling on the past doesn’t help at all. I believe I’ve prepared well for this weekend, which will be quite unique because the temperatures will be really low".
But does Lando Norris have full control of McLaren?
"No, it’s just that the last few races have been tough for me, but it’s down to my performance, not the work, availability, and focus from McLaren, who have behaved exactly the same as in the races where I performed well. It’s up to me".
Max Verstappen seemed to be closing the gap in the battle between McLaren’s drivers, but in the last two Grand Prix, he had to settle for two third-place finishes, which, combined with Lando Norris’s wins, have put him 49 points behind the leader:
"We’ve tried to optimize the car’s potential as much as possible, and I think for the most part, we’ve managed to do so, so I’m satisfied with that. I’ve enjoyed the highs and the victories we’ve achieved, but at the same time, obviously, the lows haven’t been great, and that’s why we’re not in the title fight. At mid-season or after the summer break, we were over 100 points behind, and it really looked like it was only going to get worse, but at some point, we turned things around quite a bit, even with a bit of luck, and I think that’s something we can be proud of".
To have any chance of defending his title, Max Verstappen knows he needs a lot of luck, or rather, several mistakes from Lando Norris:
"There’s not much I can do, we need a lot of luck from here until the end to even have a chance, so personally, I’m not thinking about it".
While Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen hide behind standard responses, George Russell speaks more openly. The British driver, who is fourth in the standings, makes some quite explicit predictions in the press conference about the final American weekend of the season. His analysis is simple: Verstappen could recover important points on the two McLarens:
"Teams like Red Bull have made great improvements to their low downforce setup. They won in Monza, they won in Baku, so I expect them to be strong. McLaren fighting for the win? Honestly, no, I don’t think so. If we exclude Mercedes from the equation and I had to guess who will win this weekend, I think this will be a circuit where McLaren will struggle more than usual. If you look at their performances in Canada and Baku, those were the only two times they didn’t make it to the podium. This track shares some similar characteristics with those two in terms of cold, asphalt type, C5 tires, and of course, low downforce: Baku is identical to Las Vegas. But there can always be surprises, and I think now Q3 is very competitive among many teams. If you manage to nail a magic lap and start on pole, your whole weekend changes. So, McLaren will probably be close to the front, but I think Red Bull likely has a better chance".
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the first after Ferrari president John Elkann’s call for the drivers to talk less and focus more on driving. Charles Leclerc, in the usual pre-race interviews, is asked about this. The Monegasque driver says:
"I’ve known John for many years, we talk regularly, and we have a great relationship. Of course, I spoke to him after those statements. John is very ambitious, as we all are. We have the same priorities; we’re all giving our best to bring Ferrari back to the top. The best I can do is keep doing my best to bring the team I love back to the top of the standings".
He continues, speaking about Hamilton:
"I don’t think Hamilton is struggling to integrate into the team. Clearly, at the start of the season, it was tough, but it was tough for everyone because we all expected more. We’re all united in bringing Ferrari back to the top. Why did Elkann say those words in public and not privately? John wants the best, and he wanted to send this message that way. I’ve spoken to him, and that’s what matters to me. All the different interpretations of his words are beyond my control, and I’m not going to waste time on that. What matters is what he said to us as a team to improve our performance, which is our priority".
Lewis Hamilton is also asked about John Elkann’s comments. Specifically, when a hypothetical blame culture at Ferrari is mentioned, the British driver responds:
"I don’t feel there’s any blame culture at Ferrari. We’re all in the same boat, and we all need to take responsibility. Everyone has to do their part, and I’m still 100% convinced and committed to the decision to join Ferrari. It hasn’t been an easy season, but for me, it’s been a learning year. I’ve grown a lot, and I’ve never felt so strong. The goal is to finish the season in the best way possible. I talk to Elkann every week. It hasn’t been an easy season, but my determination is intact, and I know we still have a mountain to climb. We’ve had some tough moments during the season, but I have to say I’m surprised by my resilience. Every challenge we’ve faced and will face is an opportunity for growth. It wasn’t the season we all dreamed of, but I firmly believe we will rebuild what is necessary to return Ferrari to the winning ways".
Toto Wolff didn’t go overboard with compliments for Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the São Paulo Grand Prix, as the rookie had gone through a tough period after a strong start to the season. Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Italian driver emphasizes that a meeting after the Italian Grand Prix was key to resetting and heading into a great weekend:
"The meeting after Monza helped me reset and refocus on my goals and what I need to concentrate on. In Brazil, the key for me was putting everything together and being consistent. In Miami, for example, I started really well with pole in the Sprint Qualifying, but as the weekend went on, I wasn’t as effective. Winning my first career race in Las Vegas would certainly be special. It’s easier said than done, and I obviously hope Mercedes is as fast as they’ve been in 2024, but there’s no guarantee it will be that way. It’s going to be a unique weekend, difficult with the cold temperatures and rain expected in FP2. We’ll see how it goes, I’ll have to try to adapt quickly as always".
On Friday, November 21, 2025, all 20 drivers take to the high-speed, low-downforce circuit inside the opening 10 minutes, with the cold temperatures and a dirty but dry track surface offering a challenge from the outset of the one-hour session. Small slides from Lewis Hamilton and Ollie Bearman catch the eye early on, while Norris and Pierre Gasly have slightly more wayward moments, taking to the run-off areas briefly at Turns 7 and 12 respectively. Leclerc and Max Verstappen prove to be the pacesetters from the outset, the Ferrari driver the first to set a sub 1'36"0 lap with a 1'35"954 on the medium Pirelli tyre after 20 minutes, before Verstappen lowers the benchmark by less than two-tenths. Teams switch focus to running the soft compound of tyre for the second phase of the session, with Hamilton the first of the leading runners to use the red-walled tyres, registering a 1'35"561 which is quickly beaten by team mate Leclerc. Drivers continue to explore the limits, Piastri and Fernando Alonso the next to run wide at Turns 7 and 12 as track position proves to be at a premium at times around the 3.85-mile circuit. Verstappen continues his duel with Leclerc for bragging rights, the four-time World Champion going fastest with a 1'35"109, just 0.004s clear of the Ferrari driver's latest effort before Tsunoda briefly jumps to the top with 15 minutes remaining. Norris, who survives an early brush with the wall on the exit of Turn 9, is the next to run deep at Turn 12 twice in succession, the Drivers' Championship leader struggling for outright performance. Leclerc becomes the first driver to set a sub 1'35"0 lap - a 1'34"802 - which leaves him fastest at the chequered flag from Albon, who has a big lock-up at the end of the session into the heavy braking zone of Turn 12. Tsunoda heads Verstappen by less than one-tenth, as Williams' Carlos Sainz finishes ahead of the McLarens of Norris and Piastri, with Isack Hadjar's Racing Bulls splitting the title rivals. George Russell, the winner in Las Vegas 12 months ago, finishes ninth ahead of Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton in 11th is seven-tenths adrift of Leclerc.
With a sprinkle of rain lightly dampening the circuit between the day's two one-hour sessions, teams are hesitant to send cars out initially, the clock reaching five minutes before the first drivers start to appear. Although drivers are on the slick compound of tyres, the cold temperatures and added moisture make conditions tricky, with Ollie Bearman reporting over the radio that the track is slippery and lap times are several seconds adrift from the outright pace in FP1 to begin with. Times soon begin to tumble though, Lewis Hamilton posting a 1'35"338 just after the 15-minute mark to go fastest despite a close call with Nico Hulkenberg's Kick Sauber down the back straight into the braking zone of Turn 14. After a quiet FP1 by McLaren's 2025 standards, Norris and Piastri come to the fore for the first time in Las Vegas, both briefly jumping to the top of the times before George Russell claims top spot with a 1'34"430 on the medium Pirelli tyre - the best lap from the day's running up to that point. Norris becomes the first driver to dip below the 1'34"0 barrier - posting a 1'33"943 - before having a big lock-up and running deep at Turn 14, the Briton's time also beaten by Leclerc's 1'33"763 before the halfway point of the session. Focus soon switches towards Qualifying simulations on the soft tyre, with Kimi Antonelli and then Norris moving to the top of the times, the latter on a 1'33"602 before the red flag is deployed with just over 20 minutes remaining. After a track inspection, the session resumes with just over five minutes remaining, prompting a flurry of activity in the pit lane as drivers rush to head out for some final flying laps. But there is further late drama for Leclerc, who pulls off the track with a gearbox issue having been told not to shift over the radio by his engineer, before another red flag is deployed to bring the session to an end. It leaves Norris fastest, 0.029s clear of Antonelli, with Leclerc third on the medium tyre, followed by Hulkenberg and the two Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, all of whom manage to post laps on the soft tyre. Russell, Alex Albon (Williams), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) complete the top 10, with only Albon posting his lap on the soft compound. The first two practice sessions conclude with consistent improvements from Lando Norris, as shown by the results achieved by the British McLaren driver. The World Championship leader, after finishing sixth in FP1, managed to end the next session at the top of the timesheets in an FP2 session that was interrupted twice due to a problem with a manhole cover. Just 0.029s ahead of Mercedes' Antonelli, Norris recognizes the actual progress made compared to the first session:
"We didn’t manage to get much out of FP2 due to the issues, but we had a slightly better feeling than in FP1. We’ve made good progress, and overall, the feeling is reasonable. There are some positives to build on, and others to improve for tomorrow. I believe we have a better feeling in the car compared to last year, which is a positive. Right from the first lap today, I felt good, but we couldn’t do much running at the end, basically none, and with no fuel load. But the pace is there. We’re very close to a lot of others, and many haven’t had a clean lap. However, I’m optimistic because we’ve made progress from FP1 to FP2, and I hope to do the same from FP2 to FP3. I think we can fight for pole position".
Oscar Piastri’s weekend in Las Vegas starts off badly: the Australian driver finished both of the first sessions behind his teammate. Piastri couldn’t go beyond eighth place in FP1, finishing even further back in fourteenth position at the end of FP2, but it was a session interrupted twice due to a problem with a manhole cover. Yet, despite his unsatisfactory classification, his first comments after the track activity are still positive:
"With the red flags in FP2, it’s hard to know exactly where we stand, but the car has good pace, and there are plenty of positives. FP1 was a pretty good session, and we didn’t manage to do a lap on the Softs due to the interruption in FP2. We’ll make more changes overnight and see what the weather brings tomorrow. FP1 was pretty good. We have some things to work on, but overall it was a fairly positive session. In FP2, I did a clean lap throughout the session, so it’s hard to know exactly where we are. I feel the car has decent pace, but not many drivers managed a good lap on the Softs, so it’s quite difficult to get an idea. Still, there are several positive points and others to work on overnight. I think the car is better than last year, but it’s very hard to know the level of everyone because the track has evolved a lot. In any case, we tried a few things in FP2, and they seemed to work well. I would have liked to do a few more laps, but I feel good. I think the track will continue to change significantly for the rest of the weekend, and we’ll see what kind of weather we get tomorrow, and go from there".
The manhole cover strikes again, but this time it doesn’t damage any cars. In 2023, Ferrari had to replace nearly everything on Carlos Sainz Jr.'s car, even being forced to take a heavy grid penalty, but this time there were no material damages. Max Verstappen is among the drivers who did not set a time on the Soft tires and finished FP2 in ninth place, 0.5s behind Lando Norris. The Red Bull Racing driver describes the day as incomplete, emphasizing that it will be crucial to make the right calls regarding how much the track will improve and adjusting the car accordingly:
"It went pretty well, but it was difficult to understand what to do with all the interruptions. We still need to improve a bit to find more grip, and obviously, the track is improving a lot every session, so we need to focus on that to organize ourselves more quickly, both for qualifying and the race. It’s very cold, and the asphalt is very slippery, so you can’t compare this weekend to other low-downforce tracks where I’ve been fast. It’s not guaranteed that we’ll be fast here too".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the sessions in second place, just 0.029s behind Lando Norris, continuing the battle for the fastest lap already seen in Brazil between the World Championship leader and the Italian rookie. At the end of the first day of practice, Antonelli says:
"Our first day on track here in Las Vegas was positive. I had fun learning the track lap by lap, and I felt good in the car throughout the session. The track evolution was a surprise for me; between FP1 and FP2, the track improved a lot, and the same will happen tomorrow between FP3 and qualifying. We’ll need to be ready to react accordingly".
Ninth in FP1 and seventh in FP2, in a session heavily affected by interruptions, that’s the summary of George Russell’s day, the winner of the 2024 Grand Prix. However, things have changed, and the first to know that is the British Mercedes driver, who admits:
"Today wasn’t a bad day. I think we’re fighting for the top positions, but we need to be realistic and consider that many of our competitors also seem strong, even though they haven’t completed their laps. We came into this weekend with many people favoring us, but the situation has changed a lot in the 12 months since we were so strong here last year. We’ve made the car more competitive on other circuits, but this might have made us slightly less competitive here. Tomorrow, qualifying will definitely be very tight. It looks like there are several cars capable of taking pole, so we’ll need to give our best if we want to get a good result. We’ll work hard overnight and see what we can do tomorrow".
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is happy with the work done because he feels that between FP1 and FP2, his car improved significantly, and there don’t seem to be any major adjustments needed:
"FP2 was a good session. We made some important changes, and the car improved a lot compared to FP1. Even though the results don’t show it, I feel pretty confident. It’s a shame we couldn’t complete a lap on the Soft tires, and with the manhole issue, no one really managed to do long runs today. Tomorrow it might rain, and if it does, I expect a very challenging day, but I have a good feeling".
Charles Leclerc set the best time in FP1 but dropped to third at the end of FP2. In Nevada, no clear favorite has emerged. At the end of the first day of practice, the Monegasque driver says:
"Our pace today was solid, and I think we’re in a relatively good position. That said, our rivals are strong, and we’ll have to wait and see how things go in qualifying. I expect a very tight fight, and I hope we can build on the positives from today and be in the fight for a top position. In preparing for tomorrow, we’ll try to anticipate the conditions we’ll face in qualifying and start off on the right foot from the get-go".
No issues either with the ERS case involving the Ferrari driver at the end of FP2. A technical problem with his SF-25 forced Leclerc to stop and park the car. Since he hadn’t deactivated the ERS nor repositioned the steering wheel, he was investigated by the stewards, but they completely cleared him of any wrongdoing.
On Saturday, November 22, 2025, after some disruption during Thursday’s second practice session amid two red flags for track maintenance, Friday’s final hour offers a crucial opportunity for the drivers to prepare ahead of Qualifying - and it is Oscar Piastri who is the first to venture out on intermediate tyres, the track still damp following earlier rainfall. Amid the low grip conditions, it is a steady start to FP3 as more drivers start to head out on the green-walled Pirelli compound. There is a moment for Alex Albon, the Williams heading into the run-off area at Turn 5 before making his way back onto the track. While some cars remain in their garages, Piastri puts himself at the top of the timesheets by the 15-minute mark - but he is soon displaced by the other McLaren of Lando Norris, the Briton setting a lap of 1'43"078. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, suggests over the radio that the time for slick tyres is getting near, but nobody has yet made the switch. Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda - who finishes ahead of Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in Thursday’s FP1 - is asked to box due to an issue with the car. With just over half an hour left on the clock, Verstappen is warned that rain could be on the way in 10 minutes. Conditions still appear difficult, but championship leader Norris is the first to take a gamble by bolting on the soft tyres. There are a few dicey moments for the Briton as he navigates the still drying track. Kimi Antonelli’s race engineer Pete Bonnington comments that the soft tyre looks a million miles off at the moment - but that does not deter Piastri from also running the C5 rubber. As others start to make the switch to slicks, Lewis Hamilton heads the timesheets via an effort of 1'42"809. It is not entirely smooth sailing for the seven-time World Champion, however, with the Ferrari racer having a close call after narrowly avoiding running into the rear of Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls at Turn 14 - an incident later noted by Race Control before it is decided that no further investigation is needed. With 20 minutes remaining, four drivers Fer-nando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg - have yet to put a lap on the board, while the times continue to rapidly tumble at the front. The track becomes busy as the session enters its final segment, with the entire pack heading out on the soft tyres. Verstappen heads the board as the last 10 minutes tick down, the Red Bull driver pumping in a 1'35"646. Lawson is a surprise name to slot in at the top in the dying minutes - going just 0.009s faster than Verstappen - but that does not last long, the order quickly evolving in the last moments. While Verstappen soon returns to P1, he is displaced by Russell, the Briton leading the way via his effort of 1'34"054. Meanwhile, Verstappen - 0.227s off Russell’s time - voices his frustrations about the traffic ahead after running wide, while Albon follows in third on the timesheets after a frenetic end to the session that sees more than one hairy moment. Isack Hadjar is fourth for Racing Bulls, followed by Hamilton, Antonelli, Lawson and the Aston Martins of Stroll and Alonso, with Alpine’s Gasly completing the top 10.
Free Practice 3 earlier in the day gives drivers and teams a glimpse of what running might be like in the wet around the high-speed street circuit, but a damp track surface is replaced by much worse conditions for Qualifying due to persistent rainfall prior to the session. The majority of drivers immediately head out at the green light to explore the treacherous conditions, the Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll fitted with the full wet tyre compared with many on the intermediate rubber. But the high level of standing water means those on the intermediate tyre are soon in the pit lane for the full wet compound as drivers start to run deep into the run-off area at Turn 14, which continues throughout Qualifying. Lap times tumble throughout the 18-minute segment as drivers explore the limits and track conditions marginally improve, Russell eventually finishing fastest on a 1'53"144 - more than 19 seconds slower than his time-topping effort in FP3. It leaves the Mercedes driver three-tenths clear of Verstappen, with Alonso, Stroll, Gasly and Piastri completing the top six as the conditions produce a mixed-up order, with Norris down in P13. Bearman just makes it through to Q2 in P15 despite running deep at Turn 14 on his final lap and making head-on contact with the barrier in the run-off area before rejoining. In the drop zone, Albon is unable to progress after clouting the wall on the exit of Turn 16 in the final minutes which breaks the front-right suspension on his Williams as he recovers into the pit lane. Antonelli, Bortoleto and Tsunoda also miss the cut, as does Hamilton, who complains over the radio that he can't get the tyres to work as he finishes nearly four seconds adrift of Russell’s benchmark. All cars remain on the wet tyre at the start of Q2 as Norris, Stroll, Verstappen and Piastri all occupy top spot in the opening minutes, with drivers putting in continuous laps in the tricky conditions. Russell once again tops another session, lowering the best time to a 1m 50.935 which leaves him less than two-tenths clear of Hadjar, with Sainz, Norris, Verstappen and Lawson completing the top six. Gasly jumps up to P7 with his final effort and leads Alonso and Leclerc, with Piastri pivotally just making it through to the final part of Qualifying in P10.
Hulkenberg is the first driver to miss the cut for Q3 by six-tenths and is joined by Stroll, who with three minutes remaining is the only driver to switch to the intermediate tyre. The Haas duo of Ocon and Bearman are also eliminated, as well as Colapinto, the Argentinian saving a huge moment of oversteer through the left-right-left of Turns 14/15/16. Conditions improve enough in the final 12-minute segment for all 10 drivers to head out on the intermediate tyre, with it becoming clear that the best of the conditions will be at the very end of proceedings. Sainz leads the way initially after the opening fastest laps, with Leclerc running deep at Turn 14 on his second flying effort as Piastri goes quickest with a 1'49"136. Norris responds with a faster lap of his own, which is usurped by Sainz and then Verstappen in the final minute as Piastri is the last of the runners to cross the line for their final lap, giving the title protagonist the best of the conditions in theory. Norris jumps back to the top with a 1'47"934, despite nearly dropping it into the barrier on the exit of Turn 16, and that proves good enough for his third consecutive pole position. Verstappen is left nearly three-tenths in arrears from Sainz and Russell, with Piastri only P5 after being held up by a yellow flag ahead before running deep at Turn 12 on his final effort, appearing to go wheel-to-wheel with Hadjar’s Racing Bulls. The second Racing Bulls of Lawson finishes P6 as the top 10 is completed by Alonso, Hadjar, Leclerc and Gasly. The Las Vegas circuit can already be chaotic and unpredictable on its own-let alone when you add rain into the mix. Today offered the perfect combination to put the championship leader under pressure, and Lando Norris responded like a true champion, taking a pole position that adds even more shine to a season finale worthy of a leader. Norris was the only driver to drop below the 1'48"0 barrier, putting 0.3s on Max Verstappen despite an error in the final chicane that cost him quite a lot of time:
"It wasn’t a perfect lap, I made a mistake in the last chicane which I think cost me quite a bit, three or four tenths. In the dry, a similar mistake costs half a tenth, but in the wet everything is amplified. Still, considering what was at stake and the pressure I was under, up until that moment it was one of the best laps of my life".
The title fight within McLaren between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri once again favors the World Championship leader. The Australian was both unlucky and not particularly sharp in the final moments of Q3, and will start from fifth place. Oscar Piastri, however, points out that he made no mistakes during his decisive laps:
"On the last lap there was a yellow flag, so there wasn’t a mistake on my part. It’s a shame-everything seemed to be going well, but when you see a yellow flag you have to slow down, and there wasn’t anything more we could do".
Team Principal Andrea Stella came to his driver’s defense, explaining what Piastri’s potential result might have been without the late yellow flags:
"It was a positive day for our team because we took pole with Lando, though it’s a bit of a pity for Oscar, who found the yellow flag on his final attempt. That would have been a faster lap, and he could have been up there on the front rows as well. I think they showed a moment where he might have been held up by Hadjar, but perhaps because of the yellow flag itself. I believe third place was possible for Oscar. I’m not entirely sure - I need to look at the details - but he could have got that far. Still, fifth place is a good starting position".
Max Verstappen once again extracted the maximum from his RB21. The Dutch driver, after struggling with the slippery track conditions in Las Vegas, secured a valuable front-row start. The Red Bull Racing car tends to excel on low-downforce circuits, and only Verstappen’s immense quality can currently threaten an otherwise unbeatable Norris-McLaren package. Even so, Verstappen urges caution: setup choices and tyre management on a track that remains slippery even in the dry will be crucial:
"It will be difficult to win, realistically, but I’m not thinking too much about it because maybe we’ll magically be better on the hard tyres. If there’s an opportunity, we’ll try to take it; otherwise, that’s how it’ll be. Do I have a better setup for dry conditions? I think the downforce levels are similar between teams-I don’t think anyone has huge or very low downforce. I believe keeping the tyres alive will make the difference, because of the graining. It will also be important to be fast on the hards. Qualifying was tricky because there was no grip and the surface was slippery for everyone. That makes it difficult to be consistent, avoid mistakes, and get the tyres into the right temperature window. But I think we managed everything well and maximized the car’s potential".
Charles Leclerc’s expression at the end of the chaotic Las Vegas qualifying session was one of deep frustration. Ninth place at the end of Q3 was partly the result of a mistake on his final attempt, but once again Ferrari struggled in wet conditions, losing ground to their rivals. It’s a recurring problem that showed up once more on the slippery street circuit winding its way through the bright lights of the Strip. The Monegasque made several braking errors between turns 12 and 14, and had even risked being eliminated in Q1 (as happened to teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished dead last). It was yet another very difficult day for Leclerc who, after two weeks of controversy following team president John Elkann’s suggestion that the drivers should talk less and focus more on driving, again expressed his frustration:
"In the wet we simply never have the pace-I don’t know why. It used to be one of my biggest strengths in the junior categories, but for the seven years I’ve been here at Ferrari I’ve tried everything to solve this issue. Since I arrived here I’ve never again found the right feeling in the rain, and this keeps happening. Every time we try something different, but I have no explanation for it (for the car’s poor performance in the wet). It’s starting to feel like too much, because whenever there’s a bit of rain we already know what to expect… I always try to forget about it and give everything behind the wheel, but today again there was nothing to be done".
The Ferrari driver downplayed the impact of his mistake on his final Q3 lap, when he ran wide into Turn 12 after locking the rear tyres under braking:
"On the last lap, when I was trying to improve, there wasn’t much more I could do. So even without the mistake I would still have been about a tenth slower than my previous time. I don’t know if improving was even possible, and when I see the gap to the leaders, it’s really hard to understand".
Lewis Hamilton’s Qualifying began in the worst possible way. Like the other drivers, he had to face extremely difficult track conditions due to the rain. With mistakes from Ferrari’s other driver and several yellow flags for spins or drivers running long into escape areas, the Briton ended up in twentieth and last position. Excluding technical failures, Hamilton had never finished a Formula 1 qualifying session in last place in his entire career. An ongoing nightmare since arriving in Maranello, which continued in Las Vegas-where there was even an initial doubt regarding whether the chequered flag had been shown before he could complete his final lap:
"Obviously the first set of tyres didn’t work for us, I struggled to generate heat. The tyres were ice-cold and it’s a shame because the guys did an amazing job. We seemed to have the pace for the whole weekend. I don’t have much to say—unfortunately I wasn’t able to put the lap together. I was about to take Turn 10 but I found the yellow flag, and right at the end there was a red flag so I lifted, and I wasn’t able to finish the lap".
Under the rain - which made conditions on the street circuit extremely tricky - Carlos Sainz Jr. stood out in particular. After the disappointing results of the last two Grands Prix, the Spanish Williams driver redeemed himself with an outstanding qualifying session. Sainz Jr., who claimed a podium here on the Strip last year, will surprisingly start from third place on the grid. This result was made possible by the excellent handling of the FW47 in wet conditions, especially in the first two qualifying segments, where many drivers struggled to keep their cars under control:
"I’m very happy and proud of everyone, especially for what we achieved in Q1 and Q2. Every time we crossed the line on full wets I think we were first, and in a way I was hoping the track would stay wet because I was really confident, very at ease with the car. We knew that on Intermediates our performance would probably drop because conditions were closer to dry and to FP3, where we weren’t anything special. But we managed to stay in the fight, battling for pole until the very last lap. I set a great time - I thought it might be good enough for pole - but I was the first to cross the line and I knew some fast cars were coming behind, so it might not have been enough".
Overall, the performance has still given Sainz confidence heading into the race, where he will try to defend third place and aim for another podium, after those he already earned this year in Baku and in the Sprint Race at Austin:
"I’ll do my best, I’ll try to keep everyone behind me. I’ll probably have to look more in the mirrors than ahead, because there are very fast cars behind, but I’m confident because I’ve already done it in Baku and Austin, keeping quicker cars behind me, and tomorrow I’ll do exactly the same, trying to give the team the best result possible".
It was a chaotic qualifying session under the Las Vegas night lights, unexpectedly hit by an unforecasted downpour. As a result, some big names were eliminated as early as Q1, including Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. And while the British driver can complain about missing his final lap after thinking he’d already taken the chequered flag, the young Italian admits that a driving error is what knocked him out. This is especially surprising given that weekend forecasts had placed him among the favourites for a podium finish, if not even the win, recalling Mercedes’ 2024 one-two. The decisive moment came on his final attempt in Q1, when Antonelli overshot the braking zone, wasting a lap that would likely have secured him a place in the later stages of Las Vegas GP qualifying:
"On the final attempt I locked the front right under braking. I still have to understand why, since I obviously knew it was the last good lap and I had even given myself a bit of margin to avoid surprises. In any case, I locked the front, lost the lap, and it’s a shame because that attempt would have been enough to move on to the next session".
There is still some optimism, however, thanks to the strong pace shown in free practice and the resulting chance to climb back up through the field in the race:
"Our pace on dry tyres is really good, so I hope I can overtake a fair few cars and move up the order".
With the stage set in Las Vegas after a captivating Qualifying session in the wet that sees Norris claim pole, there is drama right from the get-go as the lights go out. Off the line, Norris aggressively moves across to block fellow front-row starter Verstappen on the short run to Turn 1 but the poleman runs deep into the corner, skirting the edge of the track and rejoining alongside Verstappen but having to back off into the next corner. The loss of momentum allows Russell to move around the outside of Turn 3 before completing the pass down the next straight into Turn 5, as Sainz shadows the leading trio after starting P3. Behind, both Hadjar and Lawson move ahead of Piastri, the latter of the Racing Bulls making wheel-to-wheel contact with the McLaren into Turn 1 but the stewards deem no further action is needed. There is more significant contact further down in the pack, Bortoleto sending it up the inside of several cars and eventually into the side of Stroll as both retire due to damage, with the incident earning the Brazilian a five-place grid penalty next time out, while Gasly is also sent into a spin before rejoining. Piastri's fightback is helped on the second lap as Lawson picks up damage and is forced to crawl back to the pits under a VSC, and once full racing speed resumes, Leclerc is on the move, passing Bearman for P7 into Turn 14. Out front, Russell begins to challenge Verstappen for the lead of the race and the Mercedes driver finds himself in the DRS zone for several laps before Verstappen ekes out a margin of just over one second on Lap 8, extending that margin to 1.6s by Lap 11. Norris remains over 2s in arrears but well clear of Sainz, who is starting to be caught by Hadjar, Piastri and Leclerc, with Bearman, Alonso and Hulkenberg, on the hard tyre compared with the medium runners ahead, completing the top-10. Pushing to attack Hadjar ahead, a small lock-up into Turn 12 from Piastri allows Leclerc a run down the back straight before completing the move into Turn 14 for P6 on Lap 12. The Ferrari driver claims on the radio he is "charging like an animal", and immediately starts to pressure Hadjar ahead, diving up the inside of the Frenchman on the following tour for another spot.
While Leclerc is charging, behind team mate Hamilton, who starts at the very back, runs slightly deep at Turn 12, with Albon behind having a run on the Briton but clipping the rear of the Ferrari. It damages the Williams' front wing and forces Albon to pit for repairs as well as earning a five-second penalty for the incident. Russell, meanwhile, reports over the radio steering again as he drops to 2s adrift of Verstappen by the start of Lap 15, with Mercedes team mate Antonelli handed a five-second penalty for a false start. The Italian starts outside the points in P17 but has already pitted to replace his soft tyres for hards as a VSC is briefly called to retrieve debris from Albon's front wing on the back straight on Lap 16. The resumption of green flag running gives Piastri the chance to jump Hadjar on the back straight for P6, as Alonso becomes the first driver from inside the top-10 to pit for a new set of tyres, swapping the medium compound for hard tyres. Russell pits on the next tour from P2 for the same compound and rejoins in P7, several seconds behind Hadjar, while Norris, who has closed to within one second of Russell, is told to pick up the pace in free air and now finds himself three seconds behind Verstappen. Piastri is called into the pits at the end of Lap 21 from P6, rejoining in P10 but ahead of Hadjar who has stopped earlier, with Norris doing the same on the next tour and rejoining just behind Russell. Sainz also pits having been under intense pressure from Leclerc, but finds himself defending from Piastri on the pit exit, eventually losing the position to the Australian on the run to Turn 5, with Leclerc pitting at the end of Lap 24 and slotting between Piastri and Sainz, the trio now running P8-10. At the halfway point of the 50-lap race, Verstappen pits from the lead, switching from the medium to the hard tyre, but maintains his position at the front by just over one second from Russell, with Norris in third from Hulkenberg, who has yet to pit and change from his hard tyres along with Hamilton just behind. The Ferrari driver is soon challenging the Sauber driver ahead before peeling into the pit lane at the end of Lap 29 and rejoining P10 on the medium tyre, with Hulkenberg doing the same the next lap. But the German rejoins ahead, Hamilton making a mistake into Turn 14 on his out-lap which puts him under intense pressure from Alonso and Bearman behind, the Haas driver passing the Aston Martin on the next lap.
Out front, Verstappen establishes a lead of three seconds by Lap 32 from Russell as Norris is quickly closing in behind, with Antonelli adrift in P4 from Piastri, Leclerc, Sainz, Hadjar, Hulkenberg and Hamilton. Norris is soon in DRS zone of Russell and is told by his engineer to overtake in order to chase Verstappen for the lead, overtaking down the back straight before the braking zone into Turn 14. The gap to Verstappen at the end of Lap 34 stands at five seconds but the margin soon increases, with Norris told to nurse his car home, a suspected fuel problem being the cause. It means the margin at the chequered flag stands at more than 20s, with Norris holding on from Russell by less than three seconds as the Mercedes driver struggles with tyre wear having pushed hard at the start of his second stint. The main focus turns to Piastri behind, who is challenging Antonelli for P4 but in turn is also coming under immense pressure from Leclerc. The McLaren driver attempts an overtake into the braking zone of Turn 14 on the outside line but is rebuffed as Leclerc threatens, but with Antonelli set to suffer his 5s penalty post-race, Piastri sits in his wheel tracks until the chequered flag. Antonelli's pace is strong over the final stint, however, and means he is classified ahead of Leclerc in the order by just one-tenth. However, this result changes when the disqualifications of Norris and Piastri are confirmed post-race, boosting Russell up to second while Antonelli and Leclerc move up to third and fourth respectively. Sainz capitalises on his strong Qualifying by finishing fifth, just 4s behind Leclerc and more than 10s clear of Hadjar. They are followed by Hulkenberg and Hamilton, both of whom optimise their hard-medium strategy. Ocon and Bearman originally just miss out on the points for Haas, but the change to the classification hoists both up into the top-10. Max Verstappen wins in Las Vegas and claims his sixth victory of the season. Only one fewer than Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and that’s impressive considering that Red Bull Racing has been clearly inferior to McLaren in terms of average car performance throughout the World Championship. Of course, the unclear regulations help as well, but in the meantime the Dutch driver closes in once again on Lando Norris in the standings:
"We always try to make the most of everything we have. In Qatar and Abu Dhabi we will try to win again, and in the end we’ll see where we end up. I’m very proud of everyone; we’ve had an up-and-down season with good moments and difficult ones. We’ve learned a lot over the course of the year, and that’s very important for coming back even stronger next year and fighting from the beginning of the Championship".
Speaking about the race, Max Verstappen adds:
"It went well. Obviously, with what happened in free practice and not really knowing how the tyres would behave in the race, I think everyone tried to find the right rhythm and understand how much they could push, especially in the first stint. This race is usually always tough for us. Normally we’re not very good with tyre management, but today it seemed like we had a bit more control, and I was able to push a bit more, which allowed me to slightly increase the pace".
Commenting on the Turn 1 incident, the Dutch driver says:
"It’s always very hard to know what’s going to happen. I got off to a good start, then it was normal for him to try to defend, but he braked too late and for me it worked out perfectly. For most of the time I had everything under control. Sometimes I didn’t know how much the others were pushing, because we were all quite cautious at the beginning, but in the end on the hard tyres I could push a bit more and everything seemed under control".
As mentioned after the Brazilian Grand Prix, McLaren’s Andrea Stella had wondered whether Red Bull Racing’s use of a new power unit on Max Verstappen’s car (something also done on Yuki Tsunoda’s car in Las Vegas) should be counted within the budget cap limits, since he suspected it had been replaced for performance-related reasons.
The British team therefore asked the FIA for clarification to understand if everything was compliant. Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s technical director, surprised everyone - negatively - during Friday’s press conference by saying:
"As the FIA, we did not want to get involved in a situation where, after a power unit change, we have to discuss with the team or the PU manufacturer whether a given telemetry reading points to a potential reliability issue. We don’t believe we have the expertise to determine whether it’s a change for reliability reasons or for strategic reasons".
In short, Red Bull Racing used - yet again - one of the most typical grey areas of the regulations:
"When you find yourself in these borderline areas, things become difficult. This is a weak point of the current rules. But for 2026 the issue will be resolved, because engine manufacturers would never find it convenient to opt for a replacement for strategic reasons, given that each time they would have to spend a million. For this year it’s a weak point of the regulations, because there’s no cost limit for the PUs, but for next year it will be solved".
McLaren would have finished the Las Vegas Grand Prix in second place with Lando Norris and fourth with Oscar Piastri, disappointed at missing out on a victory that had seemed within reach. After the race, however, came the surprise news: an investigation and the subsequent disqualification of both cars due to excessive skid wear on the British team’s two machines. On the matter, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained:
"After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations was detected, which requires a minimum skid thickness of 9 mm. Car 4 was found to be non-compliant by up to 0.12 mm on the rear skid, and car 81 by up to 0.26 mm on the rear skid. During the race, both cars suffered from high and unexpected porpoising, which had not occurred during the practice sessions, and this led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the causes of this behaviour, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we detected after the race and which led to increased floor movement. As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and there were also mitigating circumstances".
Andrea Stella also shared a message for the drivers, partners, and supporters:
"We apologise to Lando and Oscar for today’s loss of points, at such a critical moment in their championship campaigns after two excellent performances from both throughout the weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support is very important to us. While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the final two races of the season".
When Lando Norris claimed a brilliant pole position in the wet in Las Vegas, it was widely believed that the path to victory for the British driver was becoming increasingly straightforward. But the unpleasant surprise came after the race, when the FIA disqualified both his car and his teammate’s car for a technical infringement. And so Norris, who had a 30-point advantage over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, will head to Qatar with a 24-point lead over both rivals
"It’s a frustrating end to today. We had to manage the situation towards the end of the race, and now we know it was due to some issues with our car, which unfortunately led to our disqualification. It’s disappointing to lose so many points. As a team, we always try to maximise performance, and today we clearly didn’t manage to find the right balance. There’s nothing I can do now to change the situation, so I’ll fully focus on Qatar, where we’ll aim to do our best in every session".
Oscar Piastri had finished the race in fourth, seeing his deficit to Norris increase from 24 to 30 points. With the double disqualification, the Australian returns to 24 points behind, effectively recovering six points through misfortune:
"It’s disappointing to finish this weekend without points after an unfortunate disqualification due to skid wear. With such a competitive field, we always try to understand where we can improve performance, but this time we didn’t succeed. Now we need to reset, refocus, and push to score as many points as possible in the final two rounds, both on circuits where we’ve had good results in the past".
Starting from ninth on the grid, Charles Leclerc delivered a brave race, full of overtakes, race pace, and tyre management, but wasn’t able to finish higher than sixth place. The disqualification of the two McLarens certainly increased the regret for the fourth-place finish, which could easily have been a third place, given that after Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s penalties, just 190 thousandths of a second separated the Italian from the Monegasque. Charles Leclerc does not hide his disappointment with today’s result:
"I think it was one of my best performances of the year in terms of overtaking and aggressiveness. The result was compromised by the fact that Oscar was in Kimi’s DRS, and that made everything much more complicated because we were losing too much downforce. So yes, it’s frustrating, but I did enjoy taking risks to make overtakes. With the strategy, however, I feel like we took a step back - a bit too much. We lost some positions that cost us dearly for the second stint, making it complicated afterwards".
Leclerc doesn’t manage to stay diplomatic:
"I don’t like saying it, but today I gave everything. But losing a position by a tenth is frustrating. Maybe we could have done something with the engine… I don’t know".
There was also a clarification after the race with Fernando Alonso regarding the hectic moments at the start:
"I told him that it was tough at the start because we touched, I was on the outside. But from what he told me, it was Liam who pushed everyone. But it’s fine".
Taking advantage of the chaos at Turn 1 in Las Vegas, Lewis Hamilton managed to move from P19 to just outside the top 10. But his race offered no further positive moments, to the point that tenth place at the finish (later eighth after the McLaren disqualifications) crushed the British champion’s morale. In interviews, he did not hide the black hole he feels he has fallen into this season:
"His tone was so bleak that Hamilton was even asked whether he would leave Formula 1 - something he denied. I feel terrible, really terrible. It has definitely been the worst season of my career, and no matter how hard I try, it just keeps getting worse. I’m trying everything, inside and outside the car. The result is awful; there is nothing positive I can take from today. I can’t wait for it to be over. I can’t wait for it to be over, I can’t wait for next season to come. I’ve had 22 negative weekends. I don’t even know how many points we have, but at this rate, with my performances, we don’t stand a chance. You’d have to expect the next two races to go the same way. I really struggled - after the start I had balance issues and struggled a lot with the brakes; there was just no middle ground between front and rear. I was catching Hülkenberg, but only at low speed, so I wasn’t particularly fast. Then I also picked up damage, I think with the Williams, and everything changed from that moment on. It was a terrible weekend, another one to add to the list".
Hamilton was asked whether the winter break would be enough to reset - but his answer was worrying:
"I don’t know".
The final races are certainly not smiling on Ferrari, as even after Las Vegas the Maranello team remains fourth in the standings, 4 points behind Red Bull Racing and 41 points behind Mercedes. Interviewed after the race, Frédéric Vasseur did not hide his disappointment:
"It was a complicated weekend. Mathematically speaking, it wasn’t a good one for us. In the first two practice sessions we were always ahead, but then in qualifying we made a high-downforce choice for Charles that penalised us today. We couldn’t overtake; we were 5 or 6 km/h slower on the straights. We need a weekend without mistakes - it’s the only way to win".
Vasseur then broadened the scope of his analysis:
"We can say the same thing we’ve been saying since the start of the year: we’re happy with our pace, but not with the points we bring home. And with two races to go, pace no longer matters - what counts is scoring points. I’m a bit disappointed, a bit like in Brazil where we had good potential and came home with zero points. It’s frustrating, but that’s racing".
Despite this, Vasseur does not believe Ferrari’s season is a disaster, nor that the problems are solely due to the SF-25’s performance. The drivers have not held back their frustration, something the Team Principal prefers over empty statements:
"In the last two or three weekends we haven’t put everything together, and that’s why mathematically we’ve dropped in the standings. In terms of pure performance, though, I think we are not as bad as we were around mid-season. I can understand Lewis’s reaction right after the race, but we need to calm down and focus on the next two weekends, because we’ll come back".
Vasseur was referring to Hamilton’s recent comments, calling 2025 the worst season of his career:
"Today is difficult, but if you look at the last couple of races… In Mexico, for example, it was only because of a penalty that Lewis didn’t finish on the podium. I don’t think we need to overturn everything. It’s about putting everything together, and I think we’re struggling to execute a clean weekend, whether it’s because of a penalty or yesterday’s contact with Colapinto. It’s not just a matter of pure performance. Of course we need to improve that too, but more importantly we need to progress properly through the weekend".
Among the topics discussed was one raised by Leclerc after qualifying, noting that since joining Ferrari he has always struggled in wet track conditions:
"It’s not a question of grip. If you look at FP3, you can see that with wet tyres we were first. It’s not that the car doesn’t work on intermediates or full wets - we just struggle more in certain grip conditions".
The lack of victories and fourth place in the standings weigh heavily on the SF-25’s reputation, but Vasseur prefers to soften the narrative:
"Up until two weeks ago we were fighting for second place. It hasn’t been a complete disaster - it’s not the right word. The difficult part is that we scored 6 or 7 points across two weekends, but before that we were ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull in the standings. That means the situation is not so dramatic. I understand the drivers perfectly. They want more, and believe me, in the Monday morning factory meetings I’m quite tough as well. But wanting more is in our DNA".
He then concluded:
"The message to the fans is that there are still two races to go. It’s hard to say this when you finish sixth, but overall this weekend the problem wasn’t pace - it was failing to put everything together in qualifying. For Charles, the main issue was probably the focus on downforce levels: yesterday it didn’t pay off in qualifying, and in the race he was stuck behind others despite having good pace. He was probably faster than Kimi and Piastri, but he got trapped. Now we must avoid the same mistake in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and try to win a race before the end of the season".
Ferrari’s strategy with Leclerc was also questioned, as many felt he was called in too late - three laps after Piastri:
"It’s not that simple, because if we had stopped one lap earlier we would have been behind Sainz. The strategy was to be more aggressive and pit before Piastri, but it’s always easy to speak after the race. Charles had a difficult start due to contact with Alonso, but he recovered well from P11. As for Hamilton, I think he started well and recovered nicely from P20 overall, but we were all in the dark with the tyres. We were very surprised by Kimi, who managed to go 48 laps on the hards while other cars struggled. We struggled too - the difference is that Kimi had clean air almost the entire time; I think he only had to overtake Ocon. That makes a massive difference, because when you aren’t in dirty air you can manage the tyres".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli told a small lie to his friend Max Verstappen: after the end of the race he went up to the Dutch driver and held up four fingers to tell him his finishing position, prompting a surprised reaction from the Red Bull Racing star. A small lie, indeed, because in reality the Italian driver finished fifth, due to the penalty imposed by Race Control for an almost imperceptible movement on the grid before the start - a movement so slight that it triggered the embedded motion sensor in the asphalt. All this after executing a crazy strategy: pitting on lap two to clear the mandatory stop and then whispering to a set of Hard tyres all the way to the chequered flag:
"The jump start? Honestly, I didn’t even notice it, but it’s a shame because that would have been two more points. But I’m happy with the race - we went for a very risky strategy and I’m glad it worked. I was a bit worried halfway through the race because I saw the graining starting to form, especially on the inside of the front-right tyre. But in the end, in the last ten laps or so, the graining cleaned up and I found my peace again, also because the lap times kept improving lap after lap. It’s just a pity we started so far back. Today’s race definitely showed the kind of pace we can have, and I have to say we can’t complain in that regard. Yesterday was tough - conditions were tricky for everyone".
He also analysed the mistake that forced him to start so far down the order, depriving him - at least for now - of any realistic shot at the podium:
"In the end I rewatched the Q1 replay because I couldn’t understand why I had locked up like that, but I noticed I went over a puddle, and that’s why I made the mistake under braking. A shame, but it’s all part of the learning process. The important thing is that today we scored valuable points for the team".