Lando Norris is the Formula 1 title favorite ahead of a three-way decider in Abu Dhabi \u2014 which also means he has the most to lose.<\/p>\n
He and teammate Oscar Piastri are each looking to win their first title, but Norris saw his comfortable 24-point lead entering last week’s Qatar Grand Prix whittled down to 12 by the end of it as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen surged back into the fight.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOf course, I have the most to lose because I am the one at the top,\u201d Norris said Thursday. \u201cI\u2019ll do my best to stay there till the end of the year, a few more days. At the same time, if it doesn\u2019t go my way, then I’ll try again next year. It\u2019ll hurt probably for a little while, but that\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris has denied he’ll ask Piastri to help out<\/a> to at least ensure one McLaren driver becomes champion if it seems Verstappen will take the title.<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s chances were revived when McLaren botched a strategy call<\/a> in Qatar, one race after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Relaxed Verstappen<\/p>\n The one contender who’s been in a final-race decider<\/a> before, Verstappen said he’s \u201cjust enjoying being here\u201d in a season where his title defense often seemed impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cI have four of those at home, so it\u2019s nice to add a fifth,\u201d he said Thursday, looking at the trophy standing next to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve already achieved everything that I wanted to achieve in F1 and everything is just a bonus. I just keep doing it because I love it and I enjoy it and that\u2019s also how I go into this weekend. Have a good time out there, try to maximize the result.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Verstappen was 104 points off the lead at one stage, and wrote his chances off again when he wasn’t competitive in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, three races ago.<\/p>\n Piastri clings on<\/p>\n