Lando Norris<\/a> leads, but just 24 points back is team-mate Oscar\u00a0Piastri<\/a>\u00a0and Red Bull\u2019s\u00a0Max Verstappen<\/a>. While a 24-point deficit has been turned around before, with Sebastian Vettel<\/a> managing a similar feat as recently as 2010, Norris can wrap up the title this weekend. The Briton only needs to outscore\u00a0Piastri\u00a0and Verstappen by two points over the course of the weekend, which also features a sprint race on Saturday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A podium on Sunday would almost guarantee the Mclaren driver a first world title, provided\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0backed up by a strong result in the sprint. Likewise,\u00a0Piastri\u00a0and Verstappen will both be chasing a race win\u00a0in order to\u00a0keep their own title hopes alive.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0all coming down to the wire.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lando Norris, McLaren<\/p>\n Photo by: Glenn Dunbar \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n Will\u00a0Piastri\u00a0finally bounce\u00a0back? –\u00a0Oleg Karpov<\/p>\n It\u2019s\u00a0been a challenging couple of months for Oscar\u00a0Piastri. The Australian, who looked like a driver with almost no weaknesses for most of this year\u2019s campaign, has suddenly fallen from the top of the championship standings. Several mistakes\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including\u00a0errors in both qualifying and the race in Baku, plus another in the Sao Paulo sprint\u00a0\u2013\u00a0combined with difficult weekends at some tracks, led to him losing the lead in Mexico. He then slipped further behind in Brazil and would have been 30 points adrift of Lando Norris had McLaren passed post-race inspection in Las\u00a0Vegas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ironically, the Vegas disqualification even worked in\u00a0Piastri\u2019s\u00a0favour. Yes, he is now level on points with Max Verstappen\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but the weekend in Sin City marked the first time\u00a0Piastri\u00a0did not lose ground to Norris since\u2026 Zandvoort!\u00a0<\/p>\n Qatar may offer\u00a0Piastri\u00a0a chance to finally reverse the trend. Lusail was the venue of his first F1 victory, after all, even if it came in the sprint. Can he rebuild his confidence this\u00a0weekend?\u00a0<\/p>\n Oscar Piastri, McLaren<\/p>\n Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Will Red Bull be the fastest car again? –\u00a0Ronald Vording<\/p>\n Ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Andrea Stella said there would be two tracks coming up where McLaren should be particularly strong: Interlagos and the Lusail International Circuit. The track in Qatar features multiple medium-speed corners, is particularly tough on tyres, and has few heavy braking\u00a0zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n All of that should suit the MCL39, but when those comments were put to\u00a0Red Bull advisor\u00a0Helmut Marko in the Las Vegas paddock, the Austrian laughed: \u201cEvery week I hear that we\u2019re heading to a McLaren track, but Max has already won quite some races after the summer break\u2026\u201d\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0right\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and on top of that, Verstappen was victorious in Qatar last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The key question is whether Red Bull manages to get the RB21 into its operating window. But if it succeeds, the car should at least be competitive after the successful upgrades in the second half of the season. McLaren still holds a tyre advantage in\u00a0high temperatures, but it remains to be seen how much that is\u00a0actually worth\u00a0with Pirelli’s maximum stint\u00a0length.\u00a0<\/p>\n Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n Photo by: Meg Oliphant \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n Mercedes close to securing P2 in constructors –\u00a0Oleg Karpov\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0battle for second place in the constructors\u2019 championship could be decided in Qatar. McLaren\u2019s disqualification handed Mercedes<\/a> a double podium in Las Vegas, delivering a significant haul of\u00a0points.\u00a0<\/p>\n Toto\u00a0Wolff\u2019s team now looks close to locking down P2, with its main rivals struggling to mount consistent challenges. Even though Red Bull has won four races since the summer break, it\u00a0remains\u00a0effectively a one-car operation, with Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> unable to find the speed or consistency when it matters. And Ferrari<\/a>\u2026 well, their recent form speaks for itself. So, no need to talk a lot more about\u00a0it.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Qatar, Mercedes only needs to outscore Red Bull by four points \u2013 assuming Ferrari does nothing extraordinary either \u2013 for the team to secure second place and end the season on a positive note. Adding to Wolff\u2019s optimism is\u00a0Andrea\u00a0Kimi Antonelli<\/a>\u2019s recent form: the Italian has finally started to show his potential, taking two consecutive\u00a0podiums.\u00a0Can he extend that streak this weekend in Qatar?\u00a0<\/p>\n George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n Photo by: Zak Mauger \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n Concerns about stint limit may be premature – Ed Hardy\u00a0<\/p>\n Whatever\u00a0happens this weekend, the grand prix will still be a unique one because Pirelli has enforced a 25-lap limit per stint, which effectively forces teams into a two-stop strategy for the 57-tour\u00a0race.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are concerns that this is limiting strategic options, Sauber<\/a> boss Jonathan Wheatley claimed \u201cit\u2019s just going to be a bit of a procession\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but is it really? Pirelli\u2019s motorsport director Mario Isola was right to point out that teams\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0forced to pit on the 24th lap and\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0still enough room for flexibility,\u00a0as Las Vegas showed.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Lando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764243551_320_lando-norris-mclaren.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Oscar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764243552_60_oscar-piastri-mclaren.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764243553_568_max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764243554_670_george-russell-mercedes.jpg\")
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