Leader in the drivers’ standings, Lando Norris could be crowned world champion for the first time in his career this Sunday on the Losail circuit in Qatar. But for that, you will have to be wary of your main competitors: Oscar Piastri, who will start in pole position, and Max Verstappen.
This Sunday at the Qatar GP which will be held on the Losail circuit, British driver Lando Norris has the opportunity to engrave his name in the Pantheon of Formula 1 world champions. Leader in the drivers’ standings after this Saturday’s sprint, the Briton has the opportunity to be crowned even before the final Grand Prix of the season which will be held next weekend near Abu Dhabi.
Thus, several scenarios are possible in order to see the native of Bristol be crowned this Sunday at the end of this Qatar Grand Prix. And, as a reminder, the winner at the end of the race pockets a total of 25 points in the drivers’ standings, his runner-up gets 18, the third 15, and so on, with 12 for the fourth, then 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and finally 1 single point for the 10th.
Objective: finish ahead of Piastri and Verstappen
The first necessity for the British driver will be to finish the race ahead of his two main rivals: Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. Lando Norris who is respectively 22 and 25 points ahead of the two men who remain in ambush and who can play spoilsport this Sunday. So, the first possibility of victory is simply to win the Grand Prix this Sunday. However, you will have to be wary of Oscar Piastri who will start in pole position and who will want to start strong to keep his advantage on the starting line.
Although in 74 years of Formula 1, the scenario has never been experienced, it is still possible that two drivers find themselves tied on points at the end of the season. In this case, it is the Grand Prix won which counts to decide between the drivers. If the Briton (7 victories) has the advantage over the Dutch driver (6 victories), he does not have it over his friend from McLaren who also has 7.
So, if Lando Norris fails to win in this Qatar Grand Prix, he will have to, in the event of second place, hope that Verstappen does not win and that Piastri finishes at least in 4th place. And so on. If Lando Norris finishes in third position at Losail, he will still have to be ahead of Verstappen and hope that Piastri finishes 5th. In the event of 4th place, same story, he will have to be ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to be 6th. In the event of 5th place, it will be necessary to finish ahead of Verstappen and for Piastri to finish 7th. Lando Norris can finish up to eighth, but will have to count on notable failures from his direct opponents to be crowned. In the event of a contrary scenario, the title of Formula 1 world champion will be decided during the final race on the Abu Dhabi circuit next weekend.
Driver ranking:
1. Lando Norris: 396 points (7 wins)
2. Oscar Piastri: 374 points (7 victories)
3. Max Verstappen: 371 points (6 wins)
4. Geroge Russell: 301 points (2 victories)
5. Charles Leclerc: 226 points
6. Lewis Hamilton: 152 points
7. Andrea Antonelli: 140 points
8. Alexander Albon: 73 points
9. Isack Hadjar: 51 points
10. Nico Hülkenberg: 49 points
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15. Esteban Ocon: 32 points
…
18. Pierre Gasly: 22 points
