Lando Norris Makes F1 Title Vow After McLaren Disqualification At Las Vegas GP

Formula 1 championship leader Lando Norris has insisted McLaren won't change its approach for the Qatar Grand Prix weekend as he seeks to secure a maiden drivers' title.

The British driver enters the sprint event at the Lusail International Circuit with a 24-point advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who won the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend.

But the gap could have been even larger had it not been for a double disqualification for the Papaya squad, with Norris initially holding a lead of 30 points over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, having crossed the line second on Sunday.

McLaren disqualification "hurts"

Lando Norris, McLaren — Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Addressing the disqualification, Norris told BBC Sport: "Of course it hurts. There's a lot of effort that goes into every weekend from everyone, including myself. All that effort just felt like it disappeared very quickly.

"But it's the same feeling for all of us. The mechanics, the engineers, myself, everyone in McLaren, feels let down by what we had as a result. And we're all disappointed. "But actually I found it quite easy just to move on and have a few days off and come to this weekend. Yeah, disappointed, of course. But I was fine otherwise."

While Norris' advantage was eroded by the non-score, the lead he holds now means that outscoring both rivals by just two points in Qatar will secure his first F1 title.

Insisting that he and the team will approach the weekend "very normally", Norris explained: "There's no point trying to treat it any differently because we've been doing a good job and I'm very happy with the job we've all been doing.

The sun is shining, LN4 is smiling 🫶#McLaren | #QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/sHN2FCAG1q
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 27, 2025

"We know what areas we need to do better, we know what things we need to improve on this year, all the standard stuff. I really try and not treat it any differently because there's no point. Nothing needs to be treated any differently."

Norris was 34 points behind Piastri after retiring from the Dutch Grand Prix but was able to chip away at the deficit despite a run of dominance from Verstappen, as well as a win from Mercedes' George Russell.

Yet two dominant wins in Mexico and Brazil before the Las Vegas disappointment, along with struggles for Piastri, have left Norris in a commanding position, and on his mindset, he said: "I feel as relaxed as I was before when I was 35 points behind the lead, and I feel the same when I'm 24 points ahead. That's my strength for now.

"How I am now feels the same as before Mexico when I wasn't leading. It feels the same as Austin when I still felt good in the car, but Max still won the race. I really don't feel any different in the car from before I was leading to now when I'm leading."

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