Lando Norris says he is still willing to take a risk in his anticipated battle with Max Verstappen at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite a huge chance to win his first F1 world title.
Norris completed a hat-trick of pole positions in wet conditions after a last-gasp effort to wrest the top spot from Verstappen, while championship challenger and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri remained in fifth place.
The British driver is 24 points clear of Piastri and 49 points clear of Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, with three races and one sprint remaining.
A win for Norris on Sunday would give him at least a 31-point lead over his rivals, giving him a realistic chance of winning the title at next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
But he is wary of the threat Verstappen poses, especially as the Red Bull driver has little to lose, especially at the start and on the short run to Turn 1.
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Watch Lando Norris take his first pole position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Max was fast. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I don’t know what he can do,” Norris said.
“I expect to fight the whole race. At the same time, I’m here to win. I’m not here to not take risks. But I still want to win tomorrow, so I’m going to make sure I do everything I can.”
“We’re still going to take it one step at a time, get a good start, do a good opening lap and go from there.”
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McLaren’s Lando Norris remains aware the championship race ‘could change very quickly’ ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix
Until Saturday, neither Norris nor Piastri had finished in the top five at Las Vegas, as McLaren has generally struggled in cold weather and slow corners.
Norris said his expectations heading into the weekend were “pretty low” but that the car had improved all around compared to last year, when he started and finished sixth.
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Lando Norris looks back at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix where he suffered a terrible crash on the third lap
“We were fast on Friday and in the dry final practice as well. Our confidence has increased, but it’s a long race,” he continued.
“We don’t know if tomorrow will be better or not, there are still issues to struggle with. We will prepare. We will prepare so that we can anticipate whatever situation we are put in. We want to win tomorrow. That is the goal, but it will not be easy.”
Can Verstappen and Piastri remain in the title race?
With just 58 points up for grabs over the weekend in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, if Norris gets at least nine points ahead of Verstappen, the reigning world champion’s title defense will officially be over.
Verstappen posted impressive race pace last time out in Sao Paulo, as Red Bull finally figured out how to get the car’s performance out in Brazil, after racing through the field from the pit lane to third.
However, Interlagos is a completely different track to Las Vegas and Verstappen revealed after Friday’s practice that Red Bull had made changes to the car that will affect his form in the race stint with Norris.
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Check out the best overtakes from Max Verstappen’s incredible performance as he raced from the pit lane to the podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix.
“I just couldn’t do any proper long runs. I did a little bit in FP1 but it wasn’t completely to my liking,” he said.
“So I hope that with the changes we’ve made since then things will get a little bit better. But I don’t expect it to be great. I hope we have a chance to do well.”
It was another disappointing qualifying result for Piastri, who will need something spectacular to join him in contention for victory.
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A look back at the key moments that cost Oscar Piastri his life in the title race
The Australian has lost to Norris in the last six races, but a podium finish on Sunday won’t help him if his teammate wins.
“I think we have a good car underneath us, it seems to be working well in all kinds of conditions,” Piastri told Sky Sports F1.
“I think we can have a strong race and hopefully move up the rankings.”
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Relive the F1 season so far, where McLaren team-mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris battled it out with a 24-point difference
Will Russell or Sainz be the key players for the title?
Last year’s Las Vegas winner George Russell suffered a power steering problem in Q3, costing him a chance to challenge Norris for pole position.
Mercedes have been fast in all practice sessions and Russell will join Verstappen and Norris at the front if things go well with tire graining, which is expected to affect the race.
“We have a chance. We will be in the fight. I don’t think there is a big difference in pace between the front three teams,” he told Sky Sports F1.
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George Russell was left dissatisfied after suffering power steering problems in Q3, believing his chances of fighting for pole position with Lando Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix had ended.
“It’s hard to say who is the fastest, but I would be surprised if there was more than a tenth of a second difference between the three teams.
“It’s going to be an exciting race. Sometimes you’ll be at the back from the start, but you can do something a little different with your strategy, so you’ll be fine.”
Russell first needs to get past Carlos Sainz. He continues to show good results in the second half of this season and is aiming for a second podium in 2025, following his third place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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Williams’ Carlos Sainz was excited after qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 3rd place
“For me, it’s more important to try to maintain that P3 as much as possible, considering we have a very fast car behind us, along with Mercedes, which was strong in the dry, and the other McLarens and Ferraris,” Sainz said.
“I’m going to do my best. You saw me in Baku and Austin, but when I’m fighting for a podium, I just try not to make mistakes, see if I can go as wide as possible, see if I can come home with a stronger result than expected. And I’m going to push to make that happen.”
Sky Sports F1 Las Vegas GP Schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments that happened at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Sunday, November 23rd
12:15am: F1 Academy Race 2
2:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Las Vegas GP Build-up*
4am: Las Vegas Grand Prix*
6am: Checkered flag: Las Vegas Grand Prix reaction*
7am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
F1’s thrilling title race continues until Sunday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
