Jenson Button dumbfounded as ‘strange’ incident ruins Oscar Piastri’s Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri will start a fourth consecutive Grand Prix from outside of the top three on the grid, after only managing to qualify P5 for the 2025 Las Vegas GP.

The 24-year-old posted a personal-best lap time of a 1:48.961 during Q3 on Saturday, as his McLaren teammate Lando Norris scored pole for the Las Vegas GP with his 1:47.934. Piastri was unable to rival his papaya pal’s effort after having to abort his final flying lap during Q3.

Piastri has not qualified inside the top three since he started P3 for the Singapore GP, before he finished the race behind Norris in P3 and P4. The Australian has since qualified P6 for the United States GP, P8 for the Mexico City GP (but he started P7) and P4 for the Sao Paulo GP.

Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar going side-by-side in qualifying for the Las Vegas GP puzzled Jenson Button

Piastri had to abort his final flying lap during Q3 in qualifying for the Las Vegas GP due to the yellow flags after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc ran deep at Turn 12. The yellow flags came to an end right as Piastri neared the left-hand corner, but he had already eased off the throttle.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix including past winners

The Australian backing out also tempted Racing Bulls racer Isack Hadjar to have a look down his inside. Piastri had to use the Turn 12 run-off area due to Hadjar then being by his inside, which dumbfounded Jenson Button as the incident would ruin the McLaren man’s qualifying.

Button said on Sky Sports F1 (22/11, 05:11): “I don’t know if that car was trying to overtake him, or if he was a slow-moving car, but it looked like he was trying to lunge up the inside.

“It was strange, because [Hadjar] was behind and they were both on a lap.”

Andrea Stella thinks P3 was ‘possible’ for Oscar Piastri in qualifying for the Las Vegas GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella thinks Piastri had the pace for P3 on the Las Vegas GP grid, had he been able to complete a final Q3 run during qualifying without the yellow flags for Leclerc or the incident with Hadjar. The Racing Bulls rookie qualified P8 after backing off.

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Stella told Sky Sports (05:29): “I think P3 was possible with Oscar. I’m not sure. I should look at the details. What’s possible counts up to a certain point. P5 is still a good position. I think we have a competitive car this year.”

Norris will line up on the front row of the 2025 F1 Las Vegas GP grid with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen, who set a personal-best lap time in Q3 of a 1:48.257. Williams ace Carlos Sainz qualified P3 in Sin City with a 1:48.296, with Mercedes’ George Russell P4 after a 1:48.803.