The Formula 1 title race is approaching its climax with everything still to play for in the drivers' title race. Yet, at the first of the three remaining races in Las Vegas this weekend, none of the protagonists know a thing about where they stand at this curious venue. They were none the wiser after practice, particularly the most representative session of the conditions in FP2.

Championship leader Lando Norris topped the timesheet in that session, but he was one of only a few drivers to complete a fast run on the soft tyres. A loose manhole cover on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit marred proceedings for the second time in three visits and left Norris' main rivals clueless about how they will perform in tomorrow's race.

And the only thing the Brit knows is that his McLaren at least feels better than it did at this race in 2024, when they struggled. Norris said: "It's always tricky here. I think we have a better feeling in the car than last year. That was felt already on lap one.

"Some good feelings, but not a lot of running in the end, not really any high fuel running, but the pace clearly is there. It's pretty tight between a lot of people."

Starting the weekend 24 points behind his McLaren team-mate, Oscar Piastri was similarly optimistic but made it clear he has no idea what sort of pace he can expect in a race which means a lot to his title chances.

The Australian said: "I think FP1 was pretty good. Some things to work on, but overall I felt like it was a pretty good session. FP2, I did two laps for the whole session. I think clearly the car's got decent pace, but not that many people got a great run on the softs. It's a little bit difficult to know exactly where we sit, but there are still plenty of positives I think."

Max Verstappen's title hopes are slim at best, 49 points adrift. Realistically, he needs his McLaren rivals to finish well down the order at more than one of the three remaining races if he is to close that gap. So the unknown conditions in Las Vegas perhaps suit him more than Norris and Piastri, though he feels he needs to find more comfort on track himself if he is to capitalise on any slip-ups from those above him in the standings.

The Red Bull racer said: "[The balance of the car] has been okay, but it's difficult to understand what to do with those interruptions.

"I think we still need to improve a little bit to find a bit more grip out there. Of course, the track is improving quite a bit every session so we'll try to just focus on that.

"It's a lot colder here and the surface is very slippery so you cannot compare it to other tracks, just because it's low downforce. It's not a given that you are going to be quick here."