Lando Norris acknowledges the immense pressure as he approaches a defining moment in his Formula One career: the season finale in Abu Dhabi, where a lifelong dream hangs in the balance. Leading the championship by 12 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with teammate Oscar Piastri another four points behind, Norris only needs a third-place finish in the 58-lap desert race to clinch his first world title and become Britain’s 11th F1 world champion.
During Thursday’s press conference, Verstappen confidently stated he has “nothing to lose,” despite his position trailing Norris. Norris agreed, noting, “I guess in terms of position, of course, I have the most to lose because I’m the one at the top. I’ll do my best to stay there for another few days. But if it doesn’t go my way, I will try again next year. It will hurt for a little while but that’s life and I’ll crack on and try and do better again next season. I also have the mentality that I have nothing to lose because it’s just a race for a championship and in 30 years time I won’t think of it all that much.”
Verstappen, who had once trailed by 104 points, has surged back with five wins in his last eight races. Norris, meanwhile, has faced setbacks including a disqualified second-place finish in the Las Vegas Grand Prix following McLaren’s car regulation infraction, plus a strategic error in Qatar that handed Verstappen a crucial victory. Nonetheless, Norris remains in control of his fate.
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Reflecting on what winning the championship would mean, the 26-year-old said, “This has been my whole life and everything I have worked towards for my whole life. It would mean the world to me and everyone who has supported me and pushed me for the last 16 years in terms of trying to get to this point. It would mean that my life until now has been a success, and I have accomplished that dream I had as a kid. It’s also a reward for a lot of hard work.”
Verstappen, chasing a fifth world title, aims to join legends Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, who each have seven. Unlike Norris and Piastri, Verstappen brings experience from a championship-deciding race, having narrowly won the title in Abu Dhabi in 2021 amidst controversy.
“The trophy looks the same. I have four of those at home, so it’s nice to add a fifth. I know my signature,” Verstappen said. “Of course, you always try to win it. But at the same time, I’ve already achieved all that I wanted to achieve in F1, and everything else is just a bonus. I just keep doing it because I love it and I enjoy it. I’m very relaxed, I have nothing to lose, and I’m just enjoying being here.”