Lando Norris (right) will start the Las Vegas Grand Prix from pole position with Max Verstappen, second on the grid, alongside him
The conflict in Lando Norris' mind as he closes on his first world title was clear after he took pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Norris expertly navigated the treacherous wet conditions on a track almost devoid of grip to take pole position from Red Bull's Max Verstappen by a margin of 0.323 seconds - a gap that could have been significantly larger had the Briton not had a major wobble through the chicane at the end of the Strip on his fastest lap.
Norris goes into the race 24 points ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who starts fifth, and 49 clear of Verstappen. All year, as the championship has unfolded, he has insisted he is taking the season one race at a time, and not changing his approach.
But in the post-qualifying news conference, it seemed he was already weighing the question of risk versus reward, with Verstappen, renowned for his aggressive approach to starts, alongside him with much less to lose.
