When the chequered flag drops in Las Vegas in two weeks’ time, Lando Norris will need to cut Max Verstappen’s gap down to 59 points or fewer to keep his faint World Championship hopes alive.
Norris, therefore, will need as many of his rivals as possible to take points from Verstappen in Las Vegas.
Given Ferrari’s impressive performance on the streets of Sin City last season, the Scuderia could be critical to the Brit’s hopes of keeping the title fight alive, provided he ensures that he is the one on the top step of the podium.
Given the need for Norris to put as many drivers as possible between himself and Verstappen on race day in Las Vegas, it would be a disaster if a frontrunner were to take a grid penalty.
Unfortunately for the McLaren man, there is a chance that Charles Leclerc - who finished second there in 2023 - could be in line for one.
Speaking to DAZN after a difficult race in Brazil last time out, Leclerc said: “We’ll take the small positive from Brazil which is that we scored a few points.
“And seeing how quick the McLarens were, to be ahead of both of them and only lose four points in the Constructors’ Championship has to be considered a pretty good day.
In Las Vegas, I hope we will be very strong and not have to take a penalty there.”
Even with Leclerc in the mix at the front, the odds are stacked against Norris and with his team-mate Oscar Piastri in a rough run of form, Verstappen’s chances of following up his remarkable Brazilian Grand Prix win with a podium are strong.
This would leave Norris’ chances of securing a maiden World Championship in tatters, as any incremental gains will only postpone the inevitable until the Qatar Grand Prix the following weekend. In reality, the 24-year-old needs a significant swing to reignite the fight.
Norris will have to hope that he gets another chance to fight for a crown in 2025. That is, of course, no guarantee.
“Lando Norris has been brought up by an amazing, lovely, beautiful, caring family. And is there an argument to say that he’s too nice? Yes, possibly,” said Eddie Jordan on the Formula For Success podcast.
“The fact is that Lando Norris will go down in the history books as being one of the most incredibly fastest drivers possibly not to have won a World Championship – and the reason being, he should have been out of sight on several races this year where there is not a chance Max had the car that that he had.”
