Verstappen can win the title in Sin City if he finishes ahead of Norris, or the Briton finishes any lower than eighth. A classic Sao Paulo Grand Prix effectively removed any doubt.
The Red Bull driver charged through from 17th to score one of greatest victories. Norris, who had started on pole, slipped to sixth after a poorly-timed red flag and a couple of mistakes.
Speaking in the press-race press conference on Wednesday, Norris admitted ‘it was a defining moment for the championship’. ‘The doors are almost shut’ as a result.
Norris spent much of the three-week break between Brazil and Vegas taking stock. This was the first year where he had a car good enough to regularly contend for victories.
He was always an outsider in the championship after Verstappen won four of the first five races. But there have been plenty of costly mistakes that will shape his development.
Speaking on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, journalist Nate Saunders drew parallels between Norris and Nico Rosberg. He suspects they may be on the same trajectory.
Rosberg was a close friend of Lewis Hamilton when the British driver joined Mercedes. But after the Silver Arrows established themselves as a dominant force, he realised he was up against a ‘stone-blooded killer’.
He therefore adopted the same single-minded approach, enabling him to beat Hamilton in 2016. Norris hopes to be the driver to end Verstappen’s reign, which will stretch to four years.
“It’s slightly different because they were teammates, but similar happened with Lewis and Nico Rosberg in 2014,” Saunders said. “Very pally going into that year, and it took Rosberg a bit of time to work out that Lewis is a stone-blooded killer.
“He’s a guy who, when he has a chance to win a championship, will focus solely on that. I think Lando’s realised that now, that when Max gets in a race car it’s different.”
Hamilton beat Rosberg by 67 points in 2014, aided by the German’s retirement in the double-points Abu Dhabi finale. The following year, he was more dominant, wrapping up the title in Austin with three races to spare.
However, Rosberg was able to end the year with a hat-trick of victories as Hamilton naturally eased off. That gave him momentum and confidence heading into his championship season, something Norris should look to emulate in the coming weeks.
Giedo van der Garde says Norris must improve on Sundays to win a championship. He’s only won three races this year despite starting on pole seven times.
Zak Brown suggested Norris is ‘too open’ about his weaknesses. But he appeared to contradict himself by saying it’s a ‘strength’ to admit those limitations – a message that may confuse the 24-year-old.
