LANDO NORRIS has one hand on the F1 crown with the British driver in the form of his life.
The 25-year-old oversaw a dream weekend of two poles and two wins in Sao Paulo to push even closer to becoming the first British world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
There has been no more of the self-doubting, cheeky chappie who won over hearts last season as the plucky young-buck who took the title fight to Max Verstappen.
Norris has developed an ice-cool, mean streak this term, so much so that he has been booed by fans in the last three Grands Prix.
The McLaren driver, who turns 26 on Thursday, doesn’t care though, with him doing everything in his power to push towards F1 glory.
He has cut out alcohol and social media this season while also continuing to work rigorously with a sports psychologist every week.
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It is doing the trick with Norris finishing above his title rival and teammate Oscar Piastri, who is normally so unflappable, in the last six Grands Prix.
It leaves him 24 points above him, which is nearly one race victory, with just three rounds to go in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
This is his title to lose now, and the glittering results in Brazil means he doesn’t necessarily have to win another race this season to be crowned champion.
Were Norris to keep finishing second and Piastri keep finishing first, the Brit would still take the crown by two points.
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The earliest the world title can be settled is now in Qatar on November 28-30 – the season’s penultimate round.
In previous years Norris has been the culprit of silly mistakes, like last season when he lost the lead from pole-position at the Spanish, Hungarian, Dutch and Italian Grands Prix.
He is making life easier for himself this time, starting perfectly in the last two races to convert pole to a win.
Norris’ mental fortitude has been a huge factor to him leading the driver’s championship after pulling off a 58-point swing in just six races.
It came after he suffered heartbreak in Zandvoort in August when he was on track to finish second but retired with an oil link with just seven laps to go.
To make matters worse, Piastri went on to win the race, and in previous years that could have crushed Norris.
‘I PROBABLY CARED TOO MUCH’
He said: “I care a lot about people’s perspectives and how I’m portrayed and things in the media,
“I probably cared too much. Even at the beginning of the year, I think I cared too much and it probably was affecting me in not the best ways.
“I’ve just learned to deal with those things better. Not by not caring, because I still always want to have a good impression, I never want to be rude or do those things.
“But I’ll always try and make my point and say what I believe in. That’s one of the things I’ve learned the most: just to be true to yourself, have confidence in yourself, believe in yourself, and speak your mind.”
It is F1 after all and the title race is far from over just yet, with it never taking much for everything to all crash and burn.
Norris’ engine heartbreak in Zandvoort showed just how everything can change in the blink of an eye.
Verstappen already wrote off his chances of a fifth consecutive world title when he qualified 16th at Interlagos on Saturday.
He is mathematically still in the hunt though, and you can never count the ruthless Dutchman out.
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Norris said: “I’m sure Max’s going to be a threat in terms of races, and you never know with the championship. So, it’s pointless trying to guess and come up with these things.
“Max will be a threat because he always is. He’s always there, he’s always fighting, and I’m sure he’ll fight to the end. I look forward to it.”
