Formula 1 is set to make its third and final appearance in the United States, following races in Miami earlier in the season and Austin just a few weeks ago.

The anticipation is high to see how the title battle will unfold, now that Lando Norris holds nearly a full race’s advantage over his teammate and a 49-point lead over Max Verstappen with just three races remaining.

The race in Nevada is always unique due to its timing, given the eight-hour difference between Europe (GMT) and Las Vegas (PST).

Another unique aspect is that the race in the United States actually takes place on Saturday evening, unlike the traditional Sunday race day.

The British driver claimed pole position for the third weekend in a row in Sin City. In tricky conditions, no one could match Norris, as he finished around three tenths ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. The third championship contender, Oscar Piastri, finished fifth in Q3.

The championship leader said after the session: "Boy that was stressful, stressful as hell!"

He added that he did not want to have wet conditions today: "I expected it to be dry but I woke up and saw it was raining and thought 'oh c*** this is not going to go well'."

Verstappen said after qualifying: "I love driving in the rain, but this was just ice. I might as well go rallying. This isn’t how it should be, and there isn’t enough light, it’s just dark on the track."

Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first session of the weekend in Las Vegas. The Monegasque driver set a 1:34.8, finishing ahead of Alexander Albon and Yuki Tsunoda.

Championship leader Norris then re-claimed the lead in the second free practice session. The McLaren driver set a 1:33.6. Following the pattern that began at the São Paulo GP, Kimi Antonelli finished second, while Leclerc completed the top three. Max Verstappen set the ninth fastest time.

The Brackley-based team has unveiled a new collection inspired by the Nevada city, aimed at “bringing this energy to life with style-first pieces suited for the grandstands, and beyond.”

Ferrari, on the other hand, is celebrating 20 years of partnership with Puma and Ray-Ban with an exclusive merchandise collection.

The dominant color will remain red, but with some darker red areas “that have defined Ferrari's history, both on and off the track.”

The first team is Williams to share its special livery for the upcoming F1 weekend, which celebrates the team's collaboration with title sponsor Atlassian and its AI teammate called Rovo.

Team boss James Vowles said: "This striking livery is the latest celebration of our work with partners Atlassian, who are helping to accelerate our tech transformation and bring Williams right back to the cutting edge.

Follow F1 Paddock Update on Spotify as well!