Lando Norris has the opportunity to secure the coveted F1 drivers’ championship of his career this Sunday at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Norris, alongside his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, encountered a significant setback the previous weekend at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, where both were disqualified several hours after the race concluded.
This event introduced a dramatic element to what had already been a closely contested and thrilling championship, concurrently enabling Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to narrow the gap as he aims for a fifth consecutive title.
With merely two races remaining, the championship hangs delicately in the balance.
While Piastri triumphed in the Qatar sprint race on Saturday, Norris retains the potential to clinch the championship in Qatar with a victory in Sunday’s race.
What are the current standings?
Norris remains the frontrunner, despite the fact that his seemingly comfortable 30-point advantage over Piastri and a 42-point advantage over Verstappen before the double disqualification were diminished to a 24-point lead over both drivers as they entered Qatar.
That margin was reduced further when Piastri emerged victorious in Saturday’s sprint race, shrinking the deficit by 2 points to 22. Verstappen trails Piastri by 3 points and Norris by 25.
Following the accumulation of points by all three drivers in the Qatar sprint race, the standings as they approach Sunday’s grand prix are as follows:
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Norris – 396 points
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Piastri – 374 points
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Verstappen – 371 points
How can Lando Norris win F1 title at Qatar Grand Prix?
Norris is the only contender capable of securing the championship in Qatar, owing to his lead in the standings, and he is assured of remaining in contention in Abu Dhabi regardless of this weekend’s outcome.
A total of 50 points are up for grabs across the two remaining races in F1.
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Norris can secure the title in Qatar by achieving a race victory on Sunday. He needs to outscore Piastri by a margin of four points and Verstappen by 25 points.
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ALTERNATIVELY, he can finish second, ahead of Verstappen, provided Piastri does not secure a podium finish.
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Absent a substantial setback, should Norris not win in Qatar, he would still enter Abu Dhabi with a championship lead.
For Verstappen to maintain his chances of victory alive in Abu Dhabi, he must be within 24 points of Norris.
A 25-point difference would result in a tie-break scenario — tiebreakers are resolved using a countback system. In the event that drivers are tied on points and share the same number of wins, the number of second-place finishes is considered, and so on until one driver surpasses the other.
Piastri could afford to enter Abu Dhabi with a 25-point deficit, as he and Norris currently have the same number of wins (eight), and a victory in Abu Dhabi would increase his total to nine.
F1’s sprint race allocates points in the following order: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the top eight finishers, whereas a grand prix awards points as 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4–2-1 to the top 10.
Who’s in the best form?
Norris has shown the most promising performance among F1 drivers recently, achieving podium finishes in Singapore and Austin, followed by consecutive victories in Mexico and Brazil. Despite the disqualification in Las Vegas, Norris maintained a high level of performance throughout the weekend, securing a pole position.
Verstappen’s performance since the summer break has also been noteworthy, with four victories in the eight races following F1’s resumption after August. In those races, he achieved podium finishes in the four where he did not win.
The reasons for Verstappen’s performance are numerous, including Red Bull’s upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix, which improved the car’s competitiveness. However, the season has also highlighted Verstappen’s exceptional skills as a four-time world champion.
A fifth championship this year would probably be regarded as one of the most remarkable in F1 history, given the significant deficit he had to overcome — following the Dutch Grand Prix, he was 104 points behind Piastri, who was the title leader at the time.
Piastri, in the meantime, has faced challenges in recent races. His previous GP victory at Zandvoort on Aug. 31 appeared to be a pivotal moment, establishing a 34-point advantage after teammate Norris retired due to car problems.
Piastri has since relinquished the championship lead and has not finished a race ahead of Norris since the Dutch GP. Since arriving in Qatar, he has been in front in all four sessions, and he secured his third career sprint victory, all of them at Qatar.
Piastri will start on pole for Sunday’s grand prix, with Norris in second and Verstappen in third.
Additional reporting by Nate Saunders.
