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McLaren’s Norris leads Red Bull’s Verstappen by 12 pointsPiastri a further four behindVerstappen can match Schumacher’s five in a rowFormula One will crown its champion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both seeking to dethrone Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and deny the Dutchman his fifth title in a row. Norris is favourite in the three-way showdown, 12 points clear of Verstappen and needing ‘only’ to finish on the podium at Yas Marina whoever wins on what could be a night of high drama. The last season before the start of a fresh era for the sport, and the expansion to 11 teams with new rules and engines, has been one of comebacks and shocks for all three contenders and none can be counted out. All have seven wins each, all capable of adding to that tally and ready to deliver an edge-of-seat sunset finale that might have come straight out of Brad Pitt’s recent F1 movie blockbuster. All have also suffered the agony of race retirements due to collisions or crashes. Norris, winner of the opener in Melbourne last March, was 34 points behind Piastri at the end of August but turned his fortunes around with a hot streak while the Australian stalled.He won in Abu Dhabi from pole last year, after losing a title battle with Verstappen. “It’s been an incredible season. We have an incredible car. I’m proud of everyone in the team. Thank you to all of our fans. We’ve got one more race, and we’ll give it everything,” he said.Piastri, leading from Saudi Arabia in April to Mexico in October, had looked set for Australia’s first championship since Alan Jones 45 years ago but is now 16 points behind his teammate.He needs to win or finish second and hope for a twist in the tale -- twice this century the driver who was third overall going into the final round has come out on top. Verstappen, who can join Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to take five titles in a row, could be on for the most astonishing comeback of all after being 104 points behind Piastri in late August. “We stay in the fight until the end,” grinned the Dutchman after winning in Qatar last weekend, following on from victory in Las Vegas the Saturday before that. Abu Dhabi has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past, with four wins in a row at the anti-clockwise circuit until last year. Another win, with Norris not on the podium, would suffice. McLaren had both their cars disqualified in Las Vegas and threw away a win for Piastri and podium for Norris in Qatar thanks to bungled strategy. Surely the runaway constructors’ champions, with the second highest single-season points tally of all time, can’t let slip through their fingers a first title double since 1998? PRIZEMONEY AND PADDOCK PECKING ORDER While the title drama plays out, others will be chasing prizemoney and points to improve their place in the paddock pecking order. Mercedes and Red Bull are fighting for second place, although the former look likely to prevail with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli given the latter team’s reliance on Verstappen.The race will be a final outing for Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, his seat handed to Frenchman Isack Hadjar for next season, and engine partners Honda before switching to Aston Martin. Ferrari have one last chance to win a race in 2025 while seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton is facing a first season without even standing on the podium.Sauber, in their last race before becoming the factory Audi team and with Nico Hulkenberg making his 250th start, are only five points behind eighth-placed Haas who are in turn seven adrift of Aston Martin. Renault-owned Alpine are competing for the last time with Renault engines before a switch to Mercedes power. For Argentine driver Franco Colapinto that means one last attempt to score his first point of the campaign. 

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic leads a movement session on the track at Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix.**media[387156]**

Contrary to popular lore, what happens in Las Vegas most definitely does not stay in Vegas as far as Formula One is concerned.The aftershock of Sunday's double disqualification in Nevada hangs over champions McLaren ahead of a sprint weekend at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar that could hand Lando Norris his first Formula One crown – or erode his lead.The Briton is 24 points clear of Australian teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen with two rounds remaining – a total of 58 points to be won and all to play for. After Sunday, there will be just 25 on offer.Norris and Piastri finished second and fourth respectively in Las Vegas but, due to the under-car plank and rear skids wearing too thin, lost their points in a development that blew the title battle wide open."During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising (bouncing) not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground," team boss Andrea Stella explained on Sunday night. "The breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed."The thinner the plank, the closer to the ground the car rides and the faster it goes. The open and unanswered question, as the circus prepares for the second part of a final triple header, is how much McLaren's performance might now be affected over the season-ending weekends in the Middle East.Rivals, and particularly Red Bull who have Verstappen chasing a fifth title in a row after winning in Las Vegas, will be keeping a very close eye on developments. Qatar and Abu Dhabi should play to McLaren's strengths – Piastri won last year's sprint while Norris set the fastest race lap -- but will they have to play safe and run a higher setting than usual, giving away some aerodynamic advantage?Verstappen also has a great record in Qatar as the only driver to win twice there, the Dutchman clinching his third title in 2023 after the Saturday sprint, which was also won by Piastri.He won last year, with Norris demoted from second to 10th after collecting a 10 second stop/go penalty for speeding during yellow warning flags. "Just trying to enjoy, have a good time, and when you can win, you try to win," Verstappen said of his approach after Sunday's success.George Russell put Mercedes on pole at the Lusail circuit last year, after Verstappen was demoted one place for driving unnecessarily slowly, and will be one to watch along with teammate Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes are solidly second in the constructors' championship, 40 points clear of Red Bull and 53 ahead of Ferrari, but nothing is certain."We have the added challenge of the sprint format this weekend and an imposed usage limit on the tyres too," said principal Toto Wolff. "Making a solid start in FP1 (practice), and having a good base to build from, will be key. We expect our competitors to be quick; warm conditions and high-speed corners haven't been our strength this year."Pirelli has imposed a maximum of 25 laps per set of tyres for Sunday's race, following analysis of wear from 2024 and after similar limits in 2023.That will mean at least two pitstops per driver and also produce a faster pace – which could subject the plank to more punishment and reduce the need for tyre management, another McLaren strength.McLaren also have two drivers to manage while Verstappen is his team's sole focus, will get priority in pitstops and – when it comes to championships – has been there before and will be laser focused. 

The Years of Culture initiative unveiled the next stage of its global collaboration with Formula One (F1) driver Pierre Gasly of the BWT Alpine F1 Team: a new racing helmet designed by acclaimed Brazilian illustrator and street artist Fernando Chamarelli, inspired by the legacy of the Qatar-Brazil 2014 Year of Culture.Uniting art and sport on a global stage, Gasly is debuting two new helmet designs at Grand Prix races in The Netherlands and Brazil, each created in partnership with artists inspired by the mission of Years of Culture to build dialogue and mutual understanding through cross-cultural exchange. Transforming one of F1's most visible symbols, this partnership engages fans worldwide through the creative visions of artists from diverse international backgrounds.Chamarelli explained that the falcon is the main symbolic figure, representing Qatar's strength and culture. The colours of the Brazilian flag are woven throughout the design, merging with the maroon tone of Qatar's flag to create harmony between both nations. The shapes evoke the dunes of the Qatari desert and the green of the Brazilian rainforest, symbolising the connection between nature and land. Indigenous patterns and the sun represent energy and life, culminating in a colourful composition that celebrates the union of two cultures through art and symbolism.Pierre Gasly said: "Racing is a global stage that brings people and cultures together. Partnering with Years of Culture allows me to share the creativity and stories of artists from around the world. Each helmet I wear carries a piece of that dialogue."Gasly debuted the first helmet of the series on Aug. 31 at Circuit Zandvoort in The Netherlands. Created by Dutch artist Johan Moorman, the design reinterpreted Amsterdam's iconic façades and the palettes of the Dutch and French flags, integrating Gasly's personal heritage into the motif. Since its inception in 2012, Years of Culture has built lasting bridges between Qatar and nations across the world, building understanding through creativity, dialogue, and collaboration.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella says Formula One title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can both feel confident going into the last four races, with neither likely to have a track advantage.Norris took over at the top by a point from his Australian teammate in Mexico on Sunday but Stella told reporters there was everything to play for in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. There are also two sprints to come in Sao Paulo and Doha. “I think both Lando and Oscar go into the final four races with reasons to be confident,” said the Italian.“The team also go into the final four races with more understanding of how to extract performance from the car consistently, because over the last four races before Mexico at times we have left some performance in the garage.“In the final four races, there’s no reason to think that one (track) may favour one driver or the other.”Piastri has been beaten by Norris in the last five races and the Briton’s dominant victory from pole position in Mexico City on Sunday wiped out the 24-year-old’s 14 point advantage. Norris has said he does not believe in momentum, however, and Piastri sounded more optimistic about his situation after racing from seventh on the grid to fifth at the chequered flag on Sunday.He said he had adapted his driving style to Mexico’s low-grip circuit – conditions Norris thrives on whereas Piastri prefers high grip – and found far more pace than in practice and qualifying.He might have grabbed fourth from Haas’s Oliver Bearman, but for a late virtual safety car.“For Lando and Oscar, there’s no problem in terms of track layout coming in the next four races,” Stella said.“If anything, we need to make sure that from a McLaren point of view we are in condition to extract the full performance that is available in the car.”Stella pointed out that Las Vegas had been difficult for McLaren last season but this year could be different, with the tyres graining less.Norris’s win was his first since Hungary in August and McLaren’s first since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of that month – ending a run of four races without a win for the champions.Stella said Mexico had been a confidence boost for McLaren, even if Red Bull’s resurgent four-times champion Max Verstappen, third on Sunday, cut his gap to the top from 40 points to 36.“We have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races,” he added.“This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the drivers’ championship. I don’t think it’s about mathematics, it’s about competitiveness. And it was important to confirm this competitiveness.”McLaren have ruled out giving Piastri a new chassis, something drivers often ask for when going through an inexplicable drop in performance.“Every evidence, every piece of data, every indirect measurement or information we have tells us that there is no problem with the car,” he told reporters after Saturday qualifying.“In reality, there’s a rotation of parts. So it’s not like there’s always the same parts on the car. So we have reasons to be reassured that there’s no problem with the car.”

Resurgent Formula One champion Max Verstappen rejected a suggestion he had "lost interest" when Red Bull were struggling earlier this season and said he had always fought hard for every point.The Dutch driver was responding at the Mexican Grand Prix on Thursday to a comment by Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, a close ally who has played an important role in the Dutch driver's career."Max at one stage when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a little bit of interest," the 82-year-old Austrian told Sky Sports television in Texas last weekend after the driver won the sprint and main race from pole position.Verstappen fell 104 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the end of August but has since roared back with three wins in the last four races.He is now 40 points behind the Australian with five rounds remaining and back in contention for what would be a fifth successive title."Of course it's more enjoyable coming to the race weekends like this than knowing that you don't have a chance to win," the driver, a five-times winner in Mexico, told reporters."But I know for myself that when I sit in the car, I always try to maximise everything that I have. And I give it everything."So even if I'm fighting for fourth or even ninth, I will always try to get the best out of it."Verstappen has a keen interest in sportscar racing, competing and winning in the GT3 category at the Nuerburgring last month.Marko had suggested the driver was allowed to do that "to keep him in a good mood"."Now that the car is working, and his success at the Nurburgring, I would say two tenths just came from him because he's really motivated ... you don't hear him shouting, he's smiling - that's what you need," he added.Verstappen said the Nuerburgring race had been arranged far in advance and he had been competing online during the season and on F1 weekends for years already."There's nothing really that has changed in terms of how professional I approach my race weekends," he said.Verstappen said the upturn in the car's performance was a "combination of a lot of things" including upgrades that allowed it to run in a different configuration."These cars are super-sensitive, right? So you're sliding a bit less, the tyres also work a bit better and that gives you also better race pace."So it's a lot of things that just came together that suddenly unlocked quite a bit more pace within the car. And that gives me more confidence and allowed us also to set up the car a little bit more aggressive."

Mekies credits team effort for performance improvementVerstappen has two wins, four podiums in last four racesRed Bull boss Laurent Mekies is refusing to take any credit for the Formula One team's improved performance since the Frenchman replaced Christian Horner at the helm in July.Four-times world champion Max Verstappen has won twice since Mekies arrived six races ago and has been on the podium in the last four races, finishing second in Singapore last weekend.Before Zandvoort, a home race where he finished second, Verstappen had not been on the podium for four races."It's still zero, guys. It's still zero," Mekies told reporters in Singapore when asked how much credit he felt he could take for the turnaround."The improvement in performance is very basically due to the work of everyone trying to analyse the limitations of the car, race after race."What is stopping us from exploiting the potential of the car? How can we add performance to the car? Where do we need to add performance for it to convert into lap time?"Verstappen has gone from being 104 points behind McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August to 63 adrift of the Australian following Sunday's race.With six grands prix and three Saturday sprint races remaining, Verstappen is still in the title reckoning although very much a long shot."I think Laurent is probably being too nice," the champion said of Mekies' words, with Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko earlier saying the boss was 'too humble'."At the end of the day, what is very good is that we just approach it as a proper team effort. We always tried to look into the details. We tried to understand what our weaknesses were. And since a few races it's definitely picked up a lot."I do think that now we understand why or how we can be better. By asking the right questions, including Laurent being involved in that, it's just working well."McLaren retained their constructors' title in Singapore and are expected to do the double and end Verstappen's run of four successive drivers' crowns. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Russell wins from pole for MercedesVerstappen second to cut gap to Piastri in title raceMcLarens clash on first corner but win constructors' titleGeorge Russell drove a flawless race from pole position to win the Singapore Grand Prix for Mercedes Sunday, leaving Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen and the two McLarens to fight it out for the other podium spots.Briton Russell took the chequered flag under the lights of the Marina Bay street circuit 5.4 seconds clear of Verstappen to claim his second victory of the season."It feels amazing," said Russell. "We don't really know where this performance came from, but really, really happy."I was really nervous at the beginning when I saw Max on the soft (tyres), but that first stint was great from us."Lando Norris put pressure on Verstappen towards the end of the race but had to settle for third ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, the pair earning enough points to seal a second consecutive constructors' title for McLaren."It was a tough race," said Norris. "Max didn't make any mistakes. I gave it my all today, and got close."I'm happy with today. I got forward two positions. We won as a team, the constructors' once again."Piastri's lead over Briton Norris in the drivers' standings was cut to 22 points, while Verstappen is 63 points behind the Australian with six races remaining in the season."I think second was the maximum result today," said Verstappen."I think the whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hope for, for a lot of different reasons."The celebrations for the constructors' title in the McLaren garage might be muted, however, with Piastri fuming at the way Norris forced his way past his teammate on the opening corner.Kimi Antonelli was a distant fifth in the other Mercedes with Charles Leclerc finishing sixth ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton.Hamilton was later docked a five-second penalty for repeatedly leaving the track as he struggled with a braking issue, dropping him to eighth with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso moving up to seventh.Haas driver Oliver Bearman was ninth and Carlos Sainz, who started at the back of the grid after the Williams cars were disqualified from qualifying, took the final points in 10th.Russell got away to a clean start from pole with Verstappen behind him but Norris, who started fifth, clipped the back of the Dutchman's Red Bull as he forced his way up the inside of Piastri on the first corner.Norris sustained some damage to the front end of his car and Piastri expressed his discontent on the team radio at his teammate's manoeuvre, accusing the Briton of "barging him out of the way". "It's racing, I put it on the inside, I had a small correction, but nothing more than that, it was good racing," Norris said.The stewards gave the incident the all-clear and McLaren said they would look at it after the race with Piastri again railing at what he said was the unfairness of the decision."I thought that in the moment, obviously first lap, tensions are high," said Piastri. "We're obviously encouraged to share our views on what happened, and I did that, and I'm sure we'll discuss it more."Verstappen was the first of the leaders to pit and tore around the track to ensure Norris would not be able to undercut him when the Briton changed his tyres seven laps later.Norris asserted his right as McLaren's lead driver to pit ahead of Piastri, whose discontent with the team would not have been improved by a notably slower stop than his teammate.Verstappen was 3.5 seconds behind Russell at the halfway stage and ended the race clinging on to keep second place from Norris rather than chasing a third straight race win.

Verstappen leads every lap to win in BakuPiastri crashes on opening lap, lead slashed to 25 pointsNorris starts and finishes seventhRussell second, Sainz thirdMcLaren kept waiting for 10th constructors' titleRed Bull's Max Verstappen cruised to a dominant Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory while Oscar Piastri crashed on the opening lap and had his Formula One lead over McLaren teammate Lando Norris slashed to 25 points.McLaren had hoped to secure their 10th Formula One constructors' title, and second in a row, Sunday with a record seven rounds remaining but must now wait until Singapore on October 5 after their lowest scoring weekend of the season.George Russell finished second for Mercedes, who moved up to second place and 333 points behind McLaren with 346 still to be won, and Carlos Sainz third for Williams's first podium finish since 2021.Norris started and finished seventh in what will rank as a missed opportunity, with six points gained on his rival but his chances of more scuppered by a slow 4.1-second pitstop for the second successive race.The win was Verstappen's second in a row and he led every lap from pole to flag, also setting the fastest lap for a "Grand Slam" that revived his slim title hopes with the reigning champion now 69 points behind Piastri.He took the chequered flag 14.609 seconds clear of Russell, after being more than 32 seconds clear before taking his pitstop."I think this weekend has been incredible for us," said Verstappen after his 67th career win, fourth of the season and second in Baku after a 2022 victory. "For us to win here again is just fantastic."We had clean air all the time and you could then look after your tyres. And yeah, it was pretty straightforward."Russell, recovering from sickness and starting fifth on the grid, was happy to see a rough weekend finish strongly while Sainz - voted driver of the day - was the happiest man on the podium."I cannot describe how happy I am and how good this feels. It tastes even better than my first ever podium," said the Spaniard, a four-times race winner with Ferrari who had started on the front row.The big story came on the opening lap when Piastri, who crashed in qualifying and started ninth, jumped the start and went to the back of the field before ploughing into the wall at turn five.The uncharacteristic errors ended the Australian's record of being the only driver to score in every race this season and also put the brakes on a run of 34 races in the points.He had not failed to finish a race since his 2023 rookie season."Certainly not my finest moment," the 24-year-old told Sky Sports."I just anticipated the start too much and yeah...silly simple error really."Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was fourth for Mercedes, redeeming himself after a poor home race weekend at Monza, with New Zealander Liam Lawson enjoying a career high fifth for Racing Bulls.Yuki Tsunoda was sixth for Red Bull with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following Norris home in eighth and ninth, with the pair swapping places on team orders because Hamilton had fresher tyres.French rookie Isack Hadjar made it a double points finish for Racing Bulls in 10th.Piastri's crash brought out the safety car, a regular feature of races in Baku, and provided the main drama of the 51- lap race around the windy city streets where the threat of a downpour failed to materialise.Norris lost a place to Hadjar and was then passed by Leclerc when the race re-started after the safety car period.The Briton followed Leclerc past Hadjar, whose car had suffered an hydraulics problem before the start, and could have passed both Leclerc and Lawson had his pitstop not cost him critical seconds.He ultimately passed Leclerc with 10 laps remaining but was unable to find a way past Tsunoda."I did the best I could yesterday, the best I could today," said Norris."Every race I didn't win was an opportunity missed, so of course today I wanted more. It was not a good result, but I couldn't do anything more today."

Ferrari made a flying start to their home Italian Formula One Grand Prix Friday but McLaren's title contender Lando Norris, bouncing back from the body blow of car failure in the previous race, set the practice pace.The Briton lapped Monza's sunlit 'Pista Magica' with a best lap of one minute 19.878 seconds in the afternoon's second session, 0.083 quicker than Ferrari's 2024 winner Charles Leclerc. Norris is 34 points behind championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri with runaway leaders McLaren chasing a sixth win in a row on Sunday.Former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was third fastest for Williams with Piastri fourth and Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton fifth. Hamilton, making his first Monza appearance in Ferrari red, and Leclerc had delighted the Ferrari fans with a surprise one-two in first practice.Five-times Italian GP winner Hamilton's leading time then was 1:20.117, with Leclerc 0.169 slower. "The mood in general is very good, and we had a positive push from the tifosi (fans) all week, from Monday morning in front of the factory. This is an extra energy and a good one," said Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur.Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari and it was a morale boost for the team after a double blank in the Netherlands last weekend when both cars crashed. Hamilton will carry a five-place grid penalty into Sunday's race from Zandvoort.Red Bull's four-times world champion Max Verstappen was sixth fastest in session two after ending opening practice fourth with Norris sixth. Piastri sat out first practice, as Irish Formula Two contender Alex Dunne took his place, fulfilling part of the team's young driver commitments, and ended up 16th.Alex Albon was seventh fastest for Williams in both sessions. Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Mercedes' George Russell completed the top 10 in the second session. Racing Bulls' French rookie Isack Hadjar, who took his first F1 podium in last weekend's Dutch race, was 10th and 11th respectively.He triggered a red flag in first practice when he went off at the Ascari Chicane with 25 minutes to go and scattered gravel across the track. Alpine had Estonian reserve driver Paul Aron replacing Argentina's Franco Colapinto for the first session and he finished last. Colapinto was also last when he returned to action.

Formula One ends its August break and goes straight back to the beach at Zandvoort this weekend, with Max Verstappen’s rowdy orange army cheering the home Dutch hero against McLaren domination.McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris, nine points behind after 14 of 24 races, have finished the last four races one-two.Norris, triumphant last year in Zandvoort, will be chasing his fourth win in five races. Few would bet against a fifth successive one-two for the papaya-liveried team as they get back on track after the mandatory summer shutdown, with Zandvoort followed on immediately by Italy’s Monza to round out the European season.“The atmosphere at the Dutch Grand Prix is always mega. Last year here was special, so I’m hyped to be returning,” said Norris, who can take his career tally to 10 wins.“We’re competitive, and ready to continue where we left off, so I’m confident I’ll be fighting out front again.”Australian Piastri has six wins to Norris’ five this season - with Verstappen on two and without a podium appearance since Canada in June - but he did finish fourth last time out in the Netherlands.He can be expected to be far more competitive as he and Norris renew what would normally be considered hostilities, with a title at stake, but has so far been a remarkably sporting duel.Verstappen cannot be counted out either, whatever recent results would suggest.No driver has a relationship with Zandvoort like the home hero, with the Red Bull driver always starting on the front row and winning from pole in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before having to settle for second last year.PARTY TIMEOf the 288 Formula One laps raced there in his lifetime, Verstappen has led 200 and his fans have never lacked an excuse for a party.If he can put his car on pole position again then it is definitely game on.“It is always a special race for me; the atmosphere is amazing and we always have such great support. Driving past a sea of orange when you are racing is an incredible feeling and I am looking forward to being back,” he said.“It will be a tough race and it looks like the weather might make things tricky but let’s see what happens.”Ferrari, second in the constructors’ standings but a mighty 299 points behind McLaren, and Mercedes will also be looking to get in on the action.Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton can expect plenty of attention after suggesting in Hungary before the break that he was useless and Ferrari should consider finding a replacement.The Briton will return well-rested and likely more upbeat.“There’s a lot I’ve been meditating on,” Hamilton posted on Instagram this week in a cryptic message alluding to individual and global issues. “We can’t look away. We have to keep going, even when it’s difficult.”Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said his team and drivers were recharged and ready for a good weekend. “That means starting right from qualifying, which is particularly crucial at Zandvoort, given how difficult overtaking can be at this track,” he added.