Lando Norris says he remains “relaxed” ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, where he has the chance to clinch his first Formula 1 world championship.
The McLaren star leads team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 24 points and will seal the title on Sunday if he outscores both rivals by at least two points over the weekend in Doha.
“I feel as relaxed as I was when I was 35 points behind the lead, and I feel the same now being 24 ahead. That’s my strength,” Norris said.
The Briton has overturned a 34-point deficit to Piastri since the Australian’s victory at Zandvoort in August, while Verstappen has hauled himself back into contention with a remarkable surge from 104 points adrift after the Dutch Grand Prix.
“How I am now feels the same as before Mexico when I wasn’t leading. It feels the same as Austin when I still felt good in the car, but Max still won,” Norris added. “I really don’t feel any different in the car now compared to before I was leading.”
Piastri has not won a race since Zandvoort, with Verstappen taking four victories and Norris two in the period since. Both McLaren drivers suffered a setback in Las Vegas, where they were disqualified for excessive skid-block wear—costing Norris second place and what could have been a 30-point cushion.
“Of course it hurts,” Norris admitted. “There’s a lot of effort every weekend from everyone, and it felt like it disappeared very quickly. We were all disappointed, but I found it easy to move on, have a few days off, and get ready for this weekend.”
Norris stressed that McLaren would not treat the Qatar race any differently despite the title stakes.
“We treat it normally,” he said. “There’s no point treating it differently because we’ve been doing a good job. We know what areas we need to improve, all the standard stuff. Nothing needs to change.”
