On the eve of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, rain was expected for the second practice session, but it took place on a dry track. Forecasts had not predicted precipitation for qualifying, yet this year saw the first wet session in Las Vegas history. It was a true challenge for the drivers, as the American circuit, despite its seemingly straightforward layout, proved to be extremely tricky.
The long straights, which tend to cool the tires, combined with low downforce setups, already present a challenge in dry conditions; in the wet, they become even more treacherous, especially as grip drops significantly. The team that managed this scenario best was McLaren, and more specifically, Lando Norris.
It’s no secret that the MCL39 handles intermediate tires very well. The decision to discard the more extreme wings on Friday in favor of a slightly higher downforce setup seems to have paid off. Norris will be joined on the front row by Max Verstappen, about three tenths behind, while Carlos Sainz will start at the head of the second row, once again impressing with Williams.
When the FW47 is competitive, the Spanish driver has shown he can seize the opportunity, and this weekend he has elevated Williams to a strong position. From fourth place onward, gaps widen significantly, with George Russell nearly nine-tenths off Norris’ pole time.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’ teammate, could not do better than fifth, hindered by a yellow flag in the final attempt in the second sector after improving in the first sector. Sixth place went to Liam Lawson with the Racing Bulls, who confirmed his speed in wet conditions, while Isack Hadjar took eighth, separated by Fernando Alonso in seventh.
Rounding out the top 10 are Charles Leclerc and a standout Pierre Gasly, who made Q3 once again despite driving a car that hasn’t seen upgrades for some time. The Ferrari driver, however, strongly complained about the lack of grip on intermediate tires in the final stage, suffering nearly a two-second deficit, which he called, via radio, “embarrassing.”
Eleventh on the grid is Nico Hulkenberg, the fastest of those eliminated in Q2, missing the cut by seven-tenths, highlighting the gap between the top ten and the rest of the field in the second session.
Lance Stroll was also eliminated, typically one of the strongest in wet conditions. The Canadian initially placed among the top drivers, but switched to intermediate tires in the last minutes—a choice that didn’t pay off despite improving track conditions. He also completed one fewer lap than expected, which was crucial given that intermediates had shown a tendency to lose temperature faster than full wets early in qualifying.
At that point, Stroll was the only driver on intermediates while everyone else stayed on full wets before switching to the green-banded tires in Q3. Q2 also saw the elimination of the two Haas drivers, with Oliver Bearman making contact with the barriers but escaping major damage, along with Franco Colapinto in the other Alpine.
The first session already delivered surprises, with notable eliminations. Alex Albon was the first to go out, after hitting the barriers in the final corners and damaging the right-front suspension of his Williams, making it impossible to continue. He did manage to return to the pit lane, avoiding a red-flag situation.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start from the penultimate row. He had higher expectations on a dry track but couldn’t get the extreme wet tires to work properly. After the session, he explained to his engineer that he didn’t have a chance to bring the tires back to temperature due to running in succession. His final attempt was also affected by a lock-up.
Beside the Italian on the grid will be Gabriel Bortoleto with Sauber, who had never really been in the top positions this weekend, even on a dry track. At the very end of the grid are Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton, with the Ferrari driver last after struggling to get the tires into the correct working window.
It’s also worth noting that Hamilton hadn’t realized he still had a lap available, crossing the start/finish line just moments before the checkered flag, effectively eliminating any chance for a final attack. Even without this timing issue, he was already struggling to get the intermediate tires to work effectively.
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