Following the initial free practice sessions for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris is confident that McLaren can compete for pole position. The British driver was the fastest on the track during the second practice session. However, many of his competitors were hindered by late interruptions. Despite this, Norris remains combative in the lead-up to the qualifiers. It was initially thought that McLaren would struggle on the street circuit.
In the second free practice session, Norris clocked the fastest time, with a 0.029-second lead over Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc, who was the fastest in the first session, ranked third behind the Italian. After a challenging race in 2024, experts predicted that McLaren would face difficulties again this year in the gambling city. Therefore, Norris’s performance on Friday is an encouraging result, the British driver said afterwards.
“It’s always tough here,” he admitted, “but I think we have a better feel in the car than last year. I noticed that in the first lap. I have a good feeling about it,” Norris said. “In the end, of course, I didn’t drive much and didn’t use much fuel, but there’s clearly pace in the car.” The second session was disrupted by suspicions of a loose manhole cover. The practice was halted twice with the red flag, preventing many competitors from setting a representative time.
“It’s quite exciting among many drivers, and many people couldn’t complete their laps,” Norris confirmed. “We’ve made progress from FP1 to FP2, and hopefully, we can continue that from FP3 to the qualifiers.” When asked about his expectations for the rest of the weekend, he sounded confident: “We’re fighting for pole.”
