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Lando Norris has acknowledged that he needs to be at the very top of his game to try to secure his first world championship, as the British driver heads into this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix with a narrow one-point lead over his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.
Norris had trailed Piastri by 34 points after the Dutch GP but with a series of strong results including a dominant win from pole to flag at the last round in Mexico, Norris has edged ahead in the title race for the first time since the Saudi Arabian GP in April.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has also made a late charge to reignite his title defence, recovering from a 104-point deficit to Piastri after Zandvoort to advance to being within 36 points of Norris.
Four meetings remain, including two sprint races with one this weekend in Brazil, and with 116 points still available, Norris confirmed his aim was to simply keep winning.
“Nothing is completed, nothing is done,” he said. “There are still more than 100 points available so it doesn’t mean anything. I need to win this weekend, next weekend and all the final races. That’s my goal.”
He had, however, been given a spur by his control at the very front of the field in Mexico. A salutary reminder that the McLaren is still very much at the front of the field for all that Red Bull have made great strides over recent races.
“When I have a weekend like last weekend, I can prove to myself that I can dominate,” he said. “That is a nice thought because it is nice to prove to myself what I am capable of and what I can achieve. It was a small achievement of a bigger puzzle. There is a much bigger picture in mind.”
Verstappen, who had all but given up hopes of taking a fifth title this season at the midway point, has been re-energised by the improvements to his car that have allowed Red Bull to unlock its potential and provide a stable and balanced platform to the Dutchman’s liking.
He has won three of the five races since the Dutch GP, an achievement he believed had been an extraordinary turnaround.
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“To still be talking about being in this fight is already remarkable in the first place,” he said. “It has to do with the turnaround of the team, they never gave up and that is a strength of a team.
“Nevertheless, at one point when you are over 100 points behind, and we are still talking about being in this fight, that is very impressive.” He remains the outsider in the championship with Norris and Piastri still enjoying a solid advantage, but this was a scenario Verstappen welcomed, as he felt he had nothing to lose.
“For me, there is no pressure,” he added. “Even if I don’t win it, I still know that I drove a really good season and I can happily say that to try and replicate the season that I have done, most people on the grid would find that very tough.”
