'champion's Weekend From Flawless Norris But Verstappen Shines Brightest'

Lando Norris was asked aft nan Sao Paulo Grand Prix whether he was now reasoning astir nan championship, having extended his lead successful 1 play from 1 constituent to astir a clear win.

"Not astatine all," he said.

Even if that's true, moreover if that's what he's trying to do, he can't not be, heavy down.

The Briton's 2nd triumph successful succession moves him 24 points clear of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen - contempt producing astatine Interlagos astir apt nan thrust of nan play - is 49 adrift.

There is simply a maximum of 83 points disposable complete nan remaining 3 races. It is not won yet, but Norris is successful full power of nan title heading to nan adjacent title successful Las Vegas from 20-22 November.

Between Norris and Piastri, nan play has flipped connected its caput successful nan abstraction of conscionable 7 races spanning a small complete 2 months.

Piastri near nan Dutch Grand Prix astatine nan extremity of August, nan first title aft F1's summertime break, pinch a 34-point lead, aft his seventh triumph of nan play and Norris' retirement.

The Australian looked an odds-on title favourite astatine that point. He had been solidity personified since nan commencement of nan year, and unquestionably nan starring McLaren driver to that constituent of nan season.

But Piastri's play has simply fallen apart, and Norris has sewage amended and better.

Over those 7 grands prix, including 2 sprints, nan plaything successful Norris' favour has been a singular 58 points.

Piastri's gait has vanished - moreover if location were flashes complete nan play successful Brazil that suggested it mightiness beryllium coming backmost - and Norris has shed nan inconsistency and mini errors that blighted his first portion of nan season, and begun to look very overmuch for illustration a champion successful nan making.

Brazil was a champion's play from Norris. Flawless, he took rod and nan triumph successful some nan sprint and nan expansive prix, and ne'er looked for illustration doing thing else.

So his remarks aft nan title person to beryllium seen for what they are - nan benignant of point each sportsperson says erstwhile they cognize what's possible, but they besides cognize that nan champion measurement to execute it is to disregard nan ambition, and deliberation only of nan method of getting them to it.

"It's a awesome win," Norris said, "but to beryllium honest, seeing really speedy Max was today, I'm beautiful disappointed we weren't quicker. So that's wherever my mind is astatine nan infinitesimal - astir apt going to spot nan team, congratulate them and spot wherever we weren't speedy enough.

"But that's me. And we'll spot what we tin do. Obviously, not a agelong measurement to go, but it tin alteration truthful quickly, for illustration we've seen coming already. So conscionable attraction connected myself, support my caput down, disregard everyone and support pushing."

One statistic stands retired from this play for Norris. This was his seventh triumph of nan season, successful nan 21st expansive prix. That it has taken him this agelong to adjacent nan triumph tally Piastri had aft 15 says a batch astir really nan play has changed.

On Saturday, aft sprint triumph moved him into a nine-point title lead, Norris said of having lessened his weaknesses.

He was unquestionably nan starring McLaren driver past year, but struggled pinch nan car successful nan first portion of nan season. Intense, focused activity from driver and squad connected making him much comfortable slow began to salary disconnected done nan summertime and into nan autumn, and now he is surviving up to nan position pinch which he started nan play - favourite - but mislaid successful those difficult early races.

"I attraction a batch astir people's perspectives and really I'm portrayed and things successful nan media," he said connected Sunday. "I astir apt cared excessively much. Even astatine nan opening of nan year, I deliberation I cared excessively much, and astir apt it was affecting maine successful not nan champion ways.

"I've conscionable learned to woody pinch those things better. Not by not caring, because I still ever want to person a bully impression. I ne'er want to beryllium rude aliases do those things.

"But I'll ever effort and make my constituent and opportunity what I judge in. That's 1 of nan things I've learned nan most: conscionable to beryllium existent to yourself, person assurance successful yourself, judge successful yourself, and speak your mind."

For his team-mate, Sao Paulo was nan latest successful a bid of chastening experiences.

Piastri's clang retired of 3rd spot successful nan sprint title not only handed Norris nan title lead connected a plate, but was besides his sixth important correction successful 5 grands prix, to adhd to nan 3 crashes and a jumped commencement he had successful Baku successful September, and his work for nan clang astatine nan commencement of nan sprint successful Austin that took retired some McLaren drivers.

Looking to make amends successful nan expansive prix, he made a bold passing move connected Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into Turn One astatine nan restart aft an early information car. It ended pinch a collision pinch Antonelli, which bounced nan Italian into Leclerc, whose car was terminally damaged.

Many - including Leclerc - felt Antonelli bore astatine slightest immoderate work for nan incident.

Piastri had been afloat alongside approaching nan corner, but had to brake earlier connected nan wrong line. He had a lock-up, but was nether power and astatine nan apex erstwhile Antonelli turned in.

Leclerc said: "Oscar was optimistic, but Kimi knew that Oscar was connected nan inside, I think, and he benignant of did nan area for illustration Oscar was ne'er there. For me, nan blasted is not each connected Oscar." Piastri felt nan same.

But nan stewards disagreed, put nan blasted wholly connected Piastri, and he was deed pinch a 10-second penalty, from which he recovered to decorativeness fifth.

"The determination coming I'm already beautiful astatine bid with," he said. "It benignant of is what it is."

As for nan championship, Piastri says he is much concerned astir his wide capacity levels. Brazil was amended than Mexico, wherever he was severely disconnected nan pace. But he still ne'er looked a threat to Norris.

"Just effort and get nan astir retired of (the remainder of nan season) arsenic I can," he said. "The punishment was 1 point but I don't deliberation nan gait was astatine a level I wanted it to be.

"I'm conscionable trying to get connected apical of things pinch that and effort and person nan champion weekends we can."

If nan title had not taken specified a decisive turn, nan personification successful nan spotlight aft Brazil would person been Verstappen. Even successful nan circumstances, nan Dutchman shone brightest of all, pinch 1 of nan performances of his career.

A twelvemonth agone astatine this race, Verstappen put himself connected nan brink of a 4th world title pinch a rather superb comeback thrust from 17th connected nan grid to win.

It was 1 of nan all-time awesome drives, but it was successful nan wet, erstwhile these sorts of things are much possible.

On Sunday, successful a barren race, Verstappen vanished 3rd aft starting from nan pit lane. Right connected nan gearbox of Antonelli's Mercedes, nan car successful second.

And he did it contempt a puncture connected nan sixth thigh that forced an early pit extremity that dropped him from nan 13th spot he had by past recovered to, correct to nan back.

"Incredible," was nan connection Verstappen utilized to picture it. "He did an astonishing job," said Antonelli. "Sensational," added Red Bull squad main Laurent Mekies.

What was each nan much singular was that Red Bull had lacked gait each weekend. Verstappen vanished nan sprint fourth, complaining of a deficiency of grip. It would person been 5th had it not been for Piastri's crash.

And for nan expansive prix, Verstappen qualified only 16th, nan first clip successful his full profession he had been knocked retired successful nan first portion of qualifying connected pace.

Realising changes they had made to nan car for qualifying had gone nan incorrect way, Red Bull chose to modify nan set-up for nan race. They stuck pinch nan determination to wantonness nan caller level introduced successful Mexico, but made a bunch of different tweaks, including fitting a caller engine.

This breaks nan rules that opportunity teams cannot alteration nan car's set-up erstwhile qualifying has started; hence nan pit lane start.

In a way, though nan puncture put him to nan backmost again aft he had made up six places complete nan 3 racing laps that had been imaginable up to that constituent successful betwixt a existent information car and a virtual one, it did him a favour successful that it sewage him disconnected nan difficult tyre and connected to nan favoured medium.

Once nan title was decently nether way, he began to prime his measurement done nan field, to nan grade that by nan clip Norris made his last extremity connected thigh 54, pinch 17 to go, nan personification who inherited nan lead was Verstappen.

"Not bad," he said complete nan power erstwhile his technologist Gianpiero Lambiase informed him of this.

It looked for illustration he mightiness enactment retired - and effort to take sides nan lead - and successful truth immoderate rival engineers judge he should person done. That he could moreover person won had Red Bull committed early to 2 stints connected nan mean from that first extremity and Verstappen managed his tyres accordingly.

But Mekies disagreed, saying: "I don't deliberation location was immoderate measurement we could person sewage nan P1 if you conscionable look astatine it."

And truthful did McLaren squad main Andrea Stella: "The level of degradation was very high, and astatine immoderate shape I deliberation nan tyres conscionable ran retired of rubber," he said.

"I deliberation they knew astatine Red Bull that it would person been rather a important bet to spell to nan extremity pinch nan aforesaid set, and considering nan truth that they had a caller soft to put on, I deliberation that was nan correct point to do."

The mobility is entertaining, connected an world level, but besides mostly immaterial, and should not detract from nan standard of Verstappen's achievement.

The prize was not arsenic glittering, truthful nan thrust astir apt won't get nan aforesaid attention, but arsenic Mekies pointed out: "It was arsenic sensational arsenic past twelvemonth to bring it to P3 from nan pit lane connected a dry, comparatively uneventful race."

As for nan championship, Verstappen needs immoderate benignant of a occurrence now that he is 49 points adrift pinch specified a short tally to nan extremity of nan season.

"We didn't suffer nan title present aliases whatever," he said. "We mislaid nan title from title 1 'til Zandvoort. We had a batch of weekends wherever we simply were not speedy enough. Then, of course, you person a large gap. Then we had bully moments wherever you get immoderate points back, but not enough. That's really nan play goes.

"Over nan full season, we haven't been bully enough, but we will effort everything we tin until nan extremity of nan play to people immoderate highlights and effort to triumph immoderate races. That's why we are present today."