The title race is coming to a head after McLaren’s Las Vegas disaster – Norris and Piastri explain how they are dealing with the new points situation
After the turbulent Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Formula 1 title race has dramatically intensified. The double disqualification of McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has brought Max Verstappen dangerously close and made him a serious contender for the world championship title once again.
Ahead of this weekend’s race in Doha, Verstappen is now just 24 points behind championship leader Norris and draws level with Piastri. The Australian lost 13 points to the world champion due to the zero score, but remains closer to Norris than he would have been without the disqualification.
Norris: “Max and Oscar are equally big threats”
What seemed like Norris’ almost certain first title just a few days ago is now completely up in the air again. Despite the difficult situation, the championship leader remains calm. For him, nothing has changed in his assessment of his strongest competitors.
“I mean, we’ve seen [Verstappen] as a threat all year, even when he was a few points behind,” Norris emphasizes. “We know what he’s capable of, we know what Red Bull is capable of, so nothing changes. He’s still a threat and has been all year.”
His approach therefore remains unchanged: “I’m really trying not to treat it any differently because it doesn’t make sense. Nothing needs to be handled differently.” Red Bull has been strong lately and will continue to be so this weekend and at the finale in Abu Dhabi, according to Norris.
But it’s not just Verstappen he has his eye on, but also his teammate Piastri. In a direct comparison, the Briton says: “They’re both the same. I think they’re both just as good as each other. Oscar is capable of doing exactly the same as Max.”
“Both have advantages and disadvantages, Max in a different team and Oscar in the reigning constructors’ champions’ team. But every driver wants to fight for himself and prove that he is the best. So both are very competitive, both very strong, incredible drivers, and I’m looking forward to a good fight.”
Piastri: Title still possible despite “net disadvantage”
Piastri sees more harm than good in the disqualification, even though it meant the gap to Norris at the top of the championship remained smaller than if he had finished fourth under normal circumstances.
“I think overall it’s still a net disadvantage,” he sums up. “Ultimately, it’s never good to have a result like that. Yes, it prevents me from losing those six points to Lando, but it also brings Max much closer into the fight.”
The new situation also raised the question of whether McLaren was considering using Piastri to help Norris. But this option was quickly rejected.
“We had a very brief discussion about it and the answer is no,” Piastri makes clear ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. “I’m still level on points with Max and have a reasonable chance of winning the championship if things go my way. So that’s how we’re playing it.” However, he knows full well that his chances are slimmer than before.
“Of course, I also know that it’s more of an outside chance. I’m dependent on other things going my way. I’m very aware of that. I’ll just try to have the best weekends possible, as I always do. Then we’ll see what happens with the others.”
