Lando Norris says he believes Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri are the same threat for the lead in the F1 world championship and that the pair are “just as good” as each other.
The 26-year-old Briton holds a 24-point lead over both McLaren teammate Piastri and Red Bull’s four-time reigning champion Verstappen with two rounds remaining and is well placed to win his first drivers’ title.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Norris dismissed suggestions that Verstappen’s pedigree and good form make the Dutchman a bigger threat than Piastri, who led the championship by 34 points before his poor performance.
“I think they’re both the same. They’re both just as good. I know what Max can do, and Oscar can do exactly what Max can do,” Norris said.
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Craig Slater explains how Norris was able to win his first world title at Qatar Grand Prix
“There are pros and cons to both. Max is on another team and Oscar is on a championship team.
“Each driver wants to fight for themselves and prove they are the best. They’re both competitive, they’re both very strong, they’re both great drivers, and we’re excited to put up a good fight on the track.”
“We’ve treated Max as a threat all year.”
Verstappen looked set to be out of the title race after Norris’ back-to-back wins left him 49 points behind with three races remaining, but after last weekend’s victory in Las Vegas, both McLarens were disqualified and the Dutchman was back in contention.
Despite the sudden change, Norris insists he will not change his approach just because Verstappen is closer to the lead.
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Watch the final lap of the Las Vegas Grand Prix where Max Verstappen kept his title hopes alive with victory.
“We’ve treated him as a threat all year,” Norris said.
“Even when he was a few points further behind, in every pre-race briefing we treated him as a threat because we know what he’s capable of and we know what Red Bull is capable of.
“So nothing changes now because he has been a constant threat all year long.”
Norris also insisted he did not feel the pressure was building, given that the 24-point cushion he earned in Las Vegas remained intact in the final two rounds.
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Sky Sports’ Anthony Davidson analyzes the biggest chances of winning the next race on the calendar, the Qatar Grand Prix.
He added: “The difference between us and the leader is the same. We don’t need to change anything. We were fast last weekend as well. We would have been faster if we hadn’t had any problems, so no.”
“We know Red Bull have been fast recently, so we expect them to be fast this weekend and next as well, but there’s nothing that needs to change on either side.”
Piastri unwilling to help Norris after ‘brief discussion’
Piastri reiterated the team’s position of not prioritizing either driver’s title hopes until the other driver is mathematically eliminated from the contest.
The Australian was asked whether there was any internal discussion about helping Norris prevent Verstappen from refusing to add the drivers’ title to the constructors’ title that McLaren sealed in Singapore.
He replied: “We had a very brief discussion about it and the answer is no.
“I’m still level with Max on points and there’s still a good chance of winning if things go my way, so that’s how we’ll play.”
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Oscar Piastri reveals cause of double DSQ in Las Vegas, says he’s still optimistic he can win the world championship
Piastri, who has failed to finish on the podium in six races in a row, admits he has only an “outside shot” to win his first title.
“There’s still a chance,” he said. “I know it’s not impossible because it’s happened a few times before.
“Obviously, we know we’re a little bit of an outside shot. Even if we had a perfect last two weeks, we can’t rely on that alone. We need other things to go our way and we’re very aware of that.”
“For me, I’m just going to try to have the best weekend I can, which I try to do every weekend, but let’s see what happens for other people.”
Sky Sports F1 Qatar GP Schedule
Thursday, November 27th
3:00 p.m.: Drivers’ press conference
6pm: Paddock Uncut
Friday, November 28th
11:05am: F2 practice
1:00pm: Qatar GP Practice (Session starts at 1:30pm)*
3:30pm: Team boss press conference
4:05pm: F2 Qualifying*
4:50pm: Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 5:30pm)*
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A look back at some of the most dramatic moments that happened at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Saturday, November 29th
1pm: Qatar GP Sprint build-up*
2pm: Qatar GP Sprint*
3:30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook*
4:15pm: F2 Sprint
5:15pm: Qatar GP qualifying build-up
6pm: Qatar GP Qualifying
8pm: Ted’s Qualification Notebook
Sunday, November 30th
11:55am: F2 Special
2:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Qatar GP Build-up
4pm: Qatar Grand Prix
6pm: Checkered flag: Qatar GP reaction
7pm: Ted’s Notes
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s season-ending triple header continues with the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint weekend, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
