Damien Smith

The momentum is with Lando Norris as Formula 1 embarks on a triple-header season finale, beginning with the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. The 26-year-old has displayed new steel to overturn a gaping 34-point deficit to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, following what was then a devastating retirement from the Dutch GP in August, and now holds a healthy 24-point advantage over the Australian. No one could have predicted such a swing as Piastri celebrated at Zandvoort – or that he would make only a single podium visit in the next six races.

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For Norris, it’s not done yet, of course. After a “perfect” weekend in São Paulo, in which he logged a maximum 33-point score from a Saturday sprint and Sunday GP double, he claimed to be more preoccupied with the form of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen than anything else.

The Dutchman continues to show his absolute best in relative adversity this year, and this was his finest performance yet. A year ago, he won in mixed weather from 17th on the grid. This time, in the dry and after struggling to tap meaningful speed from his car in qualifying, he started from the pit lane with a fresh engine – and ended on the podium, just 10sec short of the winner.

Norris is right to be wary – but Verstappen is 49 points off his lead and needs a huge favour if he is to equal Michael Schumacher’s feat of five consecutive titles. He might not want to admit it publicly, but Norris looks perfectly poised to be crowned Britain’s 11th F1 world champion at some point in the next three weeks. Then again, I thought Piastri had his own first title in the bag as summer turned to autumn, and look at him now. Don’t rule out another twist.

OGIER TURNS THE SCREW