NORRIS WON'T ASK FOR WIN

Fl leader says giving way is up to Piastri if position switch is needed to clinch title

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McLaren's Lando Norris (with mic) and Oscar Piastri are locked in a three-way battle alongside Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

ABU DHABI - Lando Norris will not ask McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to gift him the Formula One title, even if that is the only way he can beat Max Verstappen in the Abu Dhabi season-ender on Dec 7.

The Briton leads Red Bull’s four-time champion Verstappen by 12 points, with Australian Piastri a further four behind. To clinch his maiden F1 title, he needs only to finish on the podium at Yas Marina, no matter what his rivals do.

Piastri needs to win or end second and hope for a twist in the tale — only twice this century has the driver who was third overall going into the final race come out on top.

Verstappen, who can join Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to take five titles in a row, could be on for the most astonishing comeback of all after being 104 points behind Piastri in late August.

Abu Dhabi has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past, with four straight wins at the anticlockwise circuit until sixth spot in 2024, when Norris won it. Another win, with Norris not on the podium, would suffice.

The three title contenders appeared together at a news conference at the Yas Marina circuit on Dec 4, with Verstappen the most relaxed.

Norris was asked to consider a scenario where the Dutch driver was leading the race with Piastri third and him fourth. In that case, the 28-year-old reigning champion would retain his crown — unless the McLaren drivers switched positions.

Would Norris ask Piastri, or McLaren, to do that?

“I don’t think I would ask it because... I don't know... it’s up to Oscar if he would allow it. I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me,” said the 26-year-old.