Lando Norris Suffers Nightmare Opening Lap in Las Vegas GP as Early Drama R…read more
Lando Norris endured a disastrous start to the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver’s hopes of a strong result unraveling almost immediately after the lights went out. The British star, who has been locked in an intense championship battle at the top of the standings, lost out to both Max Verstappen and George Russell in a chaotic first-lap sequence that set the tone for a turbulent opening phase of the race.
Norris initially made a sharp getaway and positioned his McLaren aggressively to fend off the charging Verstappen heading into Turn 1. However, in his attempt to defend the inside line from the Red Bull, he braked late and carried too much speed into the corner. The misjudgement forced him deep into the run-off area, costing him vital momentum on the exit. With Norris compromised, both Verstappen and Russell pounced instantly, sweeping past the McLaren and demoting him several places before the field reached Turn 3.
This early setback proved to be just the beginning of McLaren’s troubles. Team-mate Oscar Piastri also found himself swallowed up by the pack in a frantic opening lap. Starting from a promising position, Piastri lost ground to both Racing Bulls and slipped down the order to seventh. In the scramble to regain position, the Australian made contact with Liam Lawson in a side-by-side move that drew immediate attention from the race stewards.
There was particular concern around Piastri’s involvement given the lingering tension from the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he was handed a controversial penalty that many – including Max Verstappen – publicly criticized as “unacceptable.” In Las Vegas, however, the stewards opted for a more lenient approach. After reviewing the footage and data from both cars, officials confirmed that no further action would be taken over the Lawson incident, sparing Piastri what could have been another costly blow to his championship campaign.
While Lawson initially looked to be a beneficiary of the opening-lap chaos by climbing into sixth place, his progress quickly stalled. The New Zealander had sustained front-wing damage in the skirmish with Piastri, and the compromised aerodynamics forced him to relinquish positions as the lap unfolded. What began as a promising launch quickly turned into a struggle for stability and pace, with Lawson slipping down the order as his Racing Bulls mechanics prepared for an early pit stop.
Further down the grid, the opening lap took an even heavier toll on Aston Martin, as both of the team’s cars became entangled in yet another first-corner incident. Lance Stroll found himself caught up in a collision at Turn 1 involving Gabriel Bortoleto, leaving the Canadian with terminal damage that forced him to retire before the race had even settled. Bortoleto, the promising Brazilian rookie, was also eliminated as a result of the clash. Remarkably, this marked the second straight race in which the two green cars collided with each other on the opening lap, raising questions about positioning, spatial awareness, and the team’s recurring misfortune.
As wreckage was cleared and marshals worked rapidly to stabilize the situation, race control deployed a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to neutralize the field. The slowdown allowed some drivers to catch their breath and assess their strategies after the unpredictable opening phase.
One driver who quickly took advantage of the neutralization was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Starting on the hard compound tyre – a strategic gamble that differed from the medium-tyre runners at the front – Hamilton used the VSC to consolidate his early progress. Despite starting further down the pack, the Mercedes driver methodically picked off rivals and climbed to 12th position within the first few laps. His early charge suggested that the harder tyre might become a strategic asset later in the race, especially if degradation hit the medium-tyre starters as expected.
The first lap of the Las Vegas Grand Prix therefore delivered a dramatic collection of storylines: Norris dropping out of podium contention almost instantly, Piastri narrowly escaping stewards’ punishment, Lawson’s early damage undoing his strong launch, and both Aston Martins crashing out in a repeat of their Brazilian GP misfortune. With strategic variance already in play and several frontrunners out of position, the remainder of the race promised even more twists in what has become one of the most unpredictable weekends of the 2025 F1 season.
