After the Brazilian Grand Prix, driver Lando Norris has extended his lead over teammate Oscar Piastri in the driver’s championship by 24 points. Norris, who started from pole position, finished ten seconds ahead of second place, bringing his total points to 390.
Piastri, with 366 points and currently second in the championship, started the race in fourth place but finished in fifth. He received a ten second penalty after the FIA ruled him at fault for a racing incident that caused driver, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, to retire. Despite this setback, Piastri has shown signs of regaining his earlier season pace, qualifying in the top four for the Brazilian GP, although he has not yet returned to his usual front row positions.
Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, sits in third place with 341 points, trailing Norris by 49 points. During the Brazilian GP, he qualified 17th, marking the first time he failed to make it past Q1 based purely on pace. Prior to this race, Verstappen had been eliminated in Q1 six times, often due to power unit issues or crashes.
Before the race, Verstappen changed his power unit to address his previous qualifying pace issues, resulting in a penalty and a delayed start from the pit lane. Despite this, he recovered to finish in third place and could have challenged for victory had it not been detrimental for team decisions during the race.
Regarding the last three races, none of the top three drivers won the Las Vegas GP last year, which was dominated by Mercedes’s F1 team. I believe this upcoming track could favor anyone, but I would give the edge to Max Verstappen due to his experience compared to Norris and Piastri. In the 2024 Qatar GP, Verstappen won, with Piastri finishing third and Norris in tenth. While Verstappen seems most likely to win, either of the McLaren drivers could also take first, given the competitiveness of their car throughout the season.
Norris previously won the Abu Dhabi GP, with Verstappen finishing sixth and Piastri tenth. Based on this, I believe Norris is favored to win this Grand Prix as well, given his recent performance.
In my opinion, Lando Norris will ultimately clinch the driver’s championship. Piastri has not been as comfortable or competitive with the car in recent races compared to earlier this season. If this trend continues, he is unlikely to close the 24-point gap, which could increase as the final three Grands Prix unfold. Verstappen, while showing competitive pace, would need to significantly outplace Norris to close a 49 point gap in just three races. As it stands, Norris seems likely to maintain his lead and take the driver’s championship.
