FOCUS LOST: LANDO NORRIS RADIO MESSAGE DESTROYED HIS LAS VEGAS GP
Lando Norris's title hopes were hit by Max Verstappen's pre-race mind games in Las Vegas, revealed by tense radio messages with his McLaren engineer.
Lando Norris's hopes for the title took a hit at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. His radio messages to the McLaren pit crew before the race started show how much pressure he was feeling.
McLaren's double disqualification meant Lando Norris's lead over rival Max Verstappen got smaller.
The Dutch driver is now only 24 points behind, and with two races left, anything can still happen.
Norris started in the first position and had a good start into the first turn, but he went too wide, letting Verstappen grab the lead.
The champion kept the lead for the whole race, getting the most points possible.
Max Verstappen messed with Lando Norris's head before things even got going.
You might think Norris just made a mistake, but his radio messages to the team suggest Verstappen was playing mind games.
Norris was upset on the way to the starting grid because his rival seemed to be taking his time getting into position.
Norris quickly told his race engineer, William Joseph, about his annoyance, saying, He's taking the [censored] with how big a gap he's leaving! It's way too big.
Joseph said they were aware, but Norris added, Come on! He's just messing around here. You can't do this! It's two car lengths, right?
Verstappen's relaxed approach probably affected Norris's start.
Norris tried to block Verstappen and missed his braking point, ending up in third place.
McLaren said one thing over the radio that didn't help Lando Norris catch Max Verstappen.
Later, after Norris got past Russell and had clear space to Verstappen, his engineer told him he might be able to catch up and win the race.
Norris tried to go faster, but Verstappen had been told about the message and put his foot down.
On a podcast, journalist Erik van Haren and former F1 driver Christijan Albers talked about what happened. Albers said the McLaren pit crew made a mistake.
Norris passed Russell on the hard tyres and had good pace, said van Haren. Then he heard from his engineer that he could catch Verstappen.
Verstappen's engineer told him what was happening. Right away, he increased his lead. Afterwards, he said that gave him extra motivation.
Albers added, I thought, don't jinx it. What's the point of saying that? You can say, 'Your distance is this; you're in a rhythm; you can catch up.'
But he said it would be easy. I thought, That's risky; he's going to fight back.
And that's what happened. It was a bad move.
ROSS BRAWN BREAKS SILENCE, BACKS LEWIS HAMILTON POST-FERRARI CRITICISM
F1 legend Ross Brawn believes Lewis Hamilton will overcome his Ferrari struggles, but only if the team nails the 2026 regulations.
Ross Brawn, the famous Ferrari technical director, is sure Lewis Hamilton will get through his current difficulties.
He thinks the F1 2026 rules will be key to Hamilton's success at Ferrari.
Ross Brawn believes Lewis Hamilton will do well at Ferrari, but the F1 2026 rules are a big question.
Hamilton's first season at Ferrari has been rough. The 40-year-old is still waiting for his first podium finish with the team after moving from Mercedes.
His season hit a new low at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Hamilton was the first Ferrari driver to qualify last based purely on speed since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This happened after Ferrari chairman John Elkann told Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc to talk less after a disappointing weekend in Brazil.
Brawn was a big part of Michael Schumacher's success with Ferrari in the early 2000s. He helped the team win five drivers' titles and six constructors' championships.
He later signed Hamilton to replace Schumacher at Mercedes at the end of 2012. This set the stage for Hamilton to win six titles in seven years between 2014 and 2020.
Brawn is sure that Hamilton has the strength to get back on track at Ferrari. He believes everything depends on how Ferrari starts under the new rules in F1 2026.
He told the official F1 website, "Lewis is very determined and has been tough in the past." There's no reason why he won't succeed.
I just hope Ferrari gets the new rules right.
Formula 1's chassis and engine rules will change a lot for F1 2026. The sport will use 50 per cent electric power, fully sustainable fuels, and active aerodynamics.
There have been rumours that Hamilton's former team, Mercedes, is ahead of the competition for F1 2026. Many believe their preparations for the new rules are going well.
Some details about Ferrari's F1 2026 car—codenamed Project 678—have come out recently. The team is expected to use a pushrod suspension at both the front and rear next season.
Reports in Italy say that Red Bull might do something similar with the new RB22. This is the first car made under the team's partnership with Ford.
Last month, it was reported that Ferrari is working on a special intake system for its new engine for F1 2026.
Hamilton seemed worried about Ferrari's chances for F1 2026 after the race in Las Vegas. He said he was not looking forward to next season.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: It’s a terrible result. There is nothing good about today.
I want it to be over. I’m ready for it to be over. I’m not excited about the next one.”
When asked if he meant the next race in Qatar, he said, "Next season."
RESPECT: LANDO NORRIS HAILED FOR STOPPING VERSTAPPEN'S MIND GAMES
Lando Norris's Las Vegas disqualification throws the F1 championship wide open, with Max Verstappen now just 24 points behind.
Lando Norris's disqualification in Las Vegas really shook up the 2025 drivers' championship. Max Verstappen is now only 24 points behind, making the title chase super close.
Norris was on track to extend his lead over Verstappen to 42 points and widen the gap on his teammate, Oscar Piastri, to 30. Instead, the top three drivers are heading into the last two races with everything to play for, with less than a single race win separating them.
Piastri actually benefited from McLaren's first-ever double disqualification at the Las Vegas GP. He finished behind Norris in P2 and P4, while Verstappen took the victory. It turned out that both McLaren cars had too much wear on their skid blocks.
Even with the disqualification, the Las Vegas race wasn't a total loss for Norris. Tom Coronel thinks Norris's aggressive move at the start, defending the lead from Verstappen, sent a strong message. Norris cut across the track to grab the inside line.
Here's the situation for Norris after the Las Vegas race:
He can clinch the 2025 title at the Qatar Grand Prix if:
Verstappen and Piastri score the same or fewer points across the weekend.
He scores 2 points across both races, and Verstappen and Piastri fail to score in Qatar.
Coronel pointed out that Norris's risky move, even though he braked too late and lost the lead, showed Verstappen that he won't back down. Verstappen now knows Norris will be a tough competitor in the final races.
Coronel said, "Lando's taking risks because he needs those points." Max is just messing around. Lando was surprisingly aggressive, and I liked it.
He went a bit too far, but he's showing he won't let anyone push him around. Those are the good things.
Verstappen thought Norris's opening move was what you should do, considering the long run to the first turn. He himself pulled a similar move on Charles Leclerc back in 2023, forcing his way inside.
But in the end, none of that mattered since Norris and Piastri were disqualified after the race and lacked the speed to stay with Verstappen. Now, Christian Danner believes McLaren may have to rethink their strategy of treating both drivers equally to secure the title.
"They've been pushing this strategy while comfortably in the lead," he told Sport.de. I'm not sure if they'll stick with it.
Despite what McLaren says, I'm sceptical because they haven't been in a title fight this late in a long time.
McLaren has been saying all year that they'll treat Norris and Piastri fairly as long as both have a shot at the championship. However, with Verstappen just 24 points behind, he could break into the top two for the first time since April in Qatar.