Lando Norris is on the cusp of winning his first F1 world title.
Despite a disaster in Las Vegas, in which both Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri were disqualified after it was found that their cars' skid blocks had worn out too much, Norris remains heavy favourite to end Max Verstappen's reign.
That mistake saw Norris, who finished second on the strip, miss out on 18 points as Verstappen drew level with Piastri. Norris remains 24 points ahead of the pair.
"Of course it hurts," British driver Norris said on the decision. "But actually I found it quite easy just to move on. I feel as relaxed as I was before, when I was 35 points behind (Piastri), and I feel the same when I'm 24 points ahead. That's my strength for now."
Current F1 standings
- Norris - 390 points
- Piastri - 366 points
- Verstappen - 366 points
There are 33 points up for grabs in Qatar this weekend, including the additional eight on offer in the Saturday sprint race, so Norris can be crowned champion come Sunday.
How can Lando Norris win F1 title this weekend?
Put simply: Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he picks up two or more points than Verstappen and Piastri across the weekend.
The top-eight finishers in the sprint race will earn points, with first place worth eight points, second place worth seven points and down until eighth place picks up one point.
The top-10 finishers in a grand prix earn points, with the winner picking up 25 points, second place 18 points, third place 15 points, fourth place 12 points and then at two-point intervals until ninth gets two points and 10th gets one point.
There are multiple variations of what could happen, and it will be much clearer after the Saturday sprint race, but one scenario sees Verstappen or Pisastri win the sprint race.
In that case, Norris will have to win the grand prix and hope the sprint winner finishes third or lower. A podium place would be enough for Norris as long as the sprint winner finishes eighth or lower.
Pisastri on Friday secured pole for the sprint race, with Norris in P3 and Verstappen in P6.
Verstappen has won the last two races in Qatar, but his record in sprint races is not the best. It is also worth noting that Piastri currently holds the tie-breaker for second in the standings due to having more GP wins than Verstappen this season, with seven to the Dutchman's six.
