LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1's title contenders mastered the wet and slick Las Vegas Strip in a rainy Friday night qualifying session that saw championship leader Lando Norris take pole.

Norris of McLaren took the top starting spot at the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the line after four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen had jumped to the top of the board. But the Red Bull driver, who won the inaugural Las Vegas race in 2023 and took his fourth straight title last year was only there a few moments before Norris bumped him down a stop.

“Boy it was stressful as hell,” Norris said. “It was pretty nasty, probably some of the worst conditions, if not the worst. It was so slippery, so difficult.”

Carlos Sainz Jr. briefly flirted with giving Williams its first pole since 2014 but was quickly

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