What Lando Norris needs to become F1 world champion in Qatar

Despite being disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lando Norris remains in pole position to win his maiden F1 world championship.

McLaren were thrown out of the race results in Las Vegas after Norris and Oscar Piastri's MCL39s were both found to have excessive plank wear, dramatically changing the completion of the title race battle.

Before the disqualifications, Norris had a 30-point lead over teammate Piastri and was 42 points ahead of Max Verstappen after finishing second behind the Red Bull driver in Sin City.

Norris’s championship advantage is now down to 24 points - the same margin as it was heading to Las Vegas - while Verstappen has moved level on points with Piastri.

Norris remains in a strong position and is still considered the favourite, but with a maximum 58 points up for grabs across the remaining two grands prix and sprint race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Verstappen is properly back in the game, especially after taking a dominant win.

When - and how - can Norris win the title?

Norris can become Briton’s 11th world champion at this weekend’s penultimate round in Qatar. 

To do so, Norris simply needs to outscore his title rivals by two points to ensure he heads into the Abu Dhabi finale with an unassailable 26-point lead.

For example, a top six finish in the sprint, coupled with victory in the grand prix, would be enough for Norris to wrap up the championship with one round to spare.

The title is still Norris’s to lose, but the added complication of having a sprint race to navigate throws potential jeopardy in the works.

After all, we have already seen how quickly things can change with one bad weekend - just ask Piastri.

But Norris has both momentum and the points advantage on his side. Another couple of big performances will get the title over the line.

Speaking before his Las Vegas disqualification was confirmed, Norris insisted that he will not change his approach.

"I've never been in that position before, so I probably can't really answer it,” he said. "But nothing feels different now, even though that is the opportunity I'm entering into. So, no, I treat it the same.

"I treat it like I want to go and win. I'll do everything I can to try and win the race. It's certainly a lot more fun when you win than when you come second.

"My goal is to win both races to the end of the season, and the sprint as well. So I'll try and win all three.

"I just focus on having a few days off and obviously shifting the time zone all the way back to wherever we have to get back to, and then focusing on FP1.”

What about Piastri and Verstappen’s chances?

Ironically, McLaren’s double disqualification has actually left Piastri in a better position than he would have been heading into the final two races.

But the Australian is badly out of form, having lagged behind his McLaren teammate for seven consecutive events.

Piastri’s title hopes have been fading ever since a horror weekend in Azerbaijan, where he crashed out of qualifying and the race.

Things have continued to get worse for Piastri, who is without a win since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, which left him 34 points clear of Norris.

Piastri realistically needs to win both grands prix and the sprint to beat Norris to this year’s crown, but that feels like a long shot. Qatar is a strong track for Piastri, who outperformed Norris in both races at last year’s grand prix at Lusail.

It is a similar story for Verstappen. The Red Bull driver has remarkably brought himself back into contention with a truly stunning second half of the season to reduce what was a 104-point deficit to the championship summit following his home race at Zandvoort.

Since then, Verstappen has been on the podium at every race. The Dutchman has won four races, as well as securing two second-place finishes and a pair of third places.

Verstappen’s incredible consistency and dogged determination has kept him in the hunt, and McLaren’s double-whammy exclusion win Las Vegas has given him an unexpected and timely boost.

But Verstappen knows that winning a fifth consecutive world championship will require a major slice of luck. If he were to achieve the unthinkable, it would go down as the greatest comeback in F1 history.