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Lando Norris has played down title expectations having taken a 24-point world championship lead after the São Paulo Grand Prix, warning he had a long way to go and that he did not expect to be competitive at the next round in Las Vegas.
Norris won with a commanding drive from pole at Interlagos while his title rival and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri could manage only fifth. Max Verstappen delivered a magnificent performance in a Red Bull that was quicker than the McLaren to come back from 19th to third, but his heroics only limited the damage to his title hopes as Norris opened a clear gap on his two competitors.
However Norris, who also won with a dominant drive at the previous round in Mexico, remained circumspect about his chances, insisting he was not considering becoming champion yet.
“I’m not thinking about it, not yet, not at all,” he said. “It’s a great win, but to see Max and how quick he was, that’s where my mind is at and there is a long way to go.”
The 25-year-old leads Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49 with three meetings remaining and 83 points available. He could afford to finish second to Piastri in all three races and the sprint in Qatar and still seal the title.
Norris has managed a remarkable comeback over the last six races, having been 34 points behind Piastri after the Dutch GP in August, since which his teammate has not finished in front of him. However he also steadfastly maintained he did not believe the last two races had been a turning point in the championship.
“No, it just feels like another weekend where I came here to try and win, to get the most points I could and did that,” he said. “I also did that last weekend. Neither are turning points, they’re just strong results, which is exactly what I need, exactly what I’m fighting for every single weekend and every day.”
Norris has recovered from a tricky opening to the season as he struggled with his car and Piastri had held the title lead since the Saudi Arabian GP in April. However as McLaren worked on adapting the car to better suit his style and the feel for front grip he prefers, Norris set about addressing what he had identified as his weaknesses. Work which the team principal, Andrea Stella, acknowledged as key to his title charge.
“What we are seeing with Lando is just an ability to exploit his potential from a driving point of view but also an evolution as a driver,” he said. “There’s been quite a lot of work around Lando, with Lando, led by Lando, in terms of evolving from a personal point of view, gaining the resilience that is required in this kind of competition.”
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Three meetings remain, in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with the race in Nevada in two weeks’ time on 23 November. McLaren have struggled on the city’s street circuit in the past, with last year’s sixth place for Norris – on a day Verstappen clinched his fourth drivers’ title – their best finish, and he warned he expected them to once more be under the cosh.
“We’ve never been good there, so I’m not the most confident about going into that race,” he said. “Maybe I’ll win, then we’ll see but I’m not going to lie and say: ‘I’m very confident, and I think it’s going to be an easy weekend,’ because I don’t think that’s how it’s going to be.
“I’m not really looking forward to it. We know Mercedes were incredibly strong there last year, as well as Red Bull and Ferraris. I think we were the bottom of those four.”
