Copy in clipboard...
Verstappen poised for fourth successive F1 title
McLaren’s Norris must score three points more than his Red Bull rival – requiring at least a top eight finish even if Verstappen draws a blank – to delay the inevitable for one more week and continue the title ‘battle’ to Qatar.
Verstappen has a 62-point lead with 60 to be won after Las Vegas, meaning the Dutch driver can lose two points to Norris and still secure the title on wins given he has eight to the Briton’s three.
The reigning champion won on the gaudy, floodlit Strip last season, despite a five-second penalty and later collision, to complete a U.S. triple, while Norris hit the wall on lap three and retired.
“This is the final push for everyone,” said Verstappen, who would be only the sixth driver to win at least four titles, going into the season’s last run of three races on successive weekends.
“We performed well here last year and it is a really fast circuit, with long straights and a lot of opportunities to overtake and go racing.”
Norris, sixth in Brazil on Nov. 3 despite starting on pole position in a race won by Verstappen from 17th on the grid, also has the constructors’ championship to think about with McLaren 36 points clear of Ferrari at the top.
That battle, with McLaren chasing a first constructors’ championship since 1998 and Ferrari their first since 2008, could go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi with Red Bull not out of the running either.
The defending champions are 49 points behind McLaren after ending a 10-race losing streak.
Verstappen’s Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, who had appeared to be in danger of not seeing out the season after his home race in October, is still searching for form but looks safe for the last three.