F1 TITLE RACE: LANDO NORRIS INSISTS VEGAS SHAMBLES DIDN'T MATTER
Lando Norris remains focused on the F1 title despite his Las Vegas DSQ. The McLaren driver leads Verstappen by 24 points heading to Qatar.
Lando Norris says his focus on winning his first Formula One title hasn't changed, even after he and his McLaren teammate were kicked out of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This result put Red Bull’s Max Verstappen back in the title chase. McLaren's team boss, Andrea Stella, says they didn't take excessive risks with their car setup in Las Vegas.
Verstappen won the race in Nevada, with Norris coming in second and Piastri fourth. But, after the race, officials found that the skid blocks on their cars were worn down too much, below the legal limit of 9 mm, leading to their disqualification.
Before the race, Verstappen trailed Norris by 49 points. Now, with Norris and Piastri losing their points, he's only 24 points behind—the same gap as Piastri—as they head to Qatar. Norris can still win the title here, but he insists he doesn't feel any extra pressure from Verstappen closing in.
We've seen him as a threat all year, even when he was further back, Norris said. We know what he and Red Bull can do, so nothing's changed.
There's no reason to change how we do things. We've been doing well, and I'm happy with our performance. We know what we need to work on. I didn't think we had a bad weekend or result in Las Vegas, so that's good.
Las Vegas was still a setback for Norris. If not for the disqualification, he would be heading to Qatar with a 30-point lead over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, giving him a better shot at the title.
"Of course, it hurts," he said. Everyone puts in a lot of effort each weekend, and it felt like it all went to waste. The mechanics, engineers, and everyone at McLaren feel let down.
We're all bummed, but I found it easy to move on, take a few days off, and get ready for this weekend.
Piastri echoed these feelings and made it clear he wouldn't sacrifice his own chances to help Norris against Verstappen. We talked about it briefly, and the answer is no, he said. I'm tied with Max in points, and I still have a good chance of winning if things go my way, so that's how we'll approach it.
With a 24-point lead over his rivals and 58 points up for grabs this weekend (including a sprint race), Norris must score two points more than both of them to secure the title, or one point if he wins Sunday’s race.
McLaren's Andrea Stella addressed the situation, saying that he doesn't think the team pushed the car's ride height too close to the limit. He said the unexpected bouncing of the cars caught them off guard from the start of the race.
Based on practice data, we didn't think we were taking big risks with the ride height, and we even added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, he said.
The specific problem was the unexpected bouncing, which caused the car to move up and down a lot, Stella explained. This was worse because of the race conditions and wasn't something we saw in practice or expected based on our predictions.
GEORGE RUSSELL ADMITS ANTONELLI IS "EXCEPTIONALLY QUICK" BUT REFUSES TO CONCEDE TITLE
Kimi Antonelli secured his 3rd straight F1 win in Miami, leaving George Russell 43 seconds behind and 20 points down in the title race. (130 chars)
George Russell isn’t flinching. He’s not ready to let go of the story, even as Kimi Antonelli keeps grabbing headlines. Antonelli’s been tearing it up this season – three straight wins, all from pole – and it’s got people talking. Miami was rough for Russell; he finished fourth, over 43 seconds behind Antonelli. That gap isn’t just big; it’s glaring, and it’s putting some real heat on their rivalry at Mercedes.
Russell isn’t pretending things are fine, but he’s not throwing in the towel either. He gets what Antonelli’s doing and gives props where they’re deserved. “He’s a fantastic driver, and he’s been fast since day one,” Russell said. “You don’t win all those championships as a kid if you’re not quick.” He means it, but he’s also drawing a boundary. Russell still believes in himself, and he’s not giving up on the championship.
“I’ve still got confidence in myself, and I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he said with a little smile. “It’s just a tricky patch, but we’re only four races in; there’s a lot more to come. We’ll sort things out over the next few weeks.”
That “tricky patch” doesn’t just mean some tough luck; it includes a 20-point deficit and a teammate who won’t stop rewriting history. Antonelli’s winning streak has changed the vibe at Mercedes, at least for now.
Russell knows all about momentum and how it doesn’t always stick around. “He’s got momentum right now; he’s flying,” Russell admitted. “But I’ve won championships myself, and I know momentum swings back and forth all year.” He actually doesn’t seem bothered by the points gap. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it,” he said.
It’s a calm answer from a guy who’s been here before, leaning on experience while Antonelli rides his hot streak. Russell keeps saying 'big picture, patience, not panic'.
“I just want to get back on top of the podium,” he said. “I had the pace for the first three races, but this weekend I was nowhere close. It could have gone very differently these last few weeks, and this weekend could’ve just been a blip. But some races in Japan and China didn’t go my way. That’s how F1 goes sometimes.”
Still, confidence doesn’t erase a 20-point gap, not if Antonelli keeps cruising. If Antonelli keeps piling up wins, Russell’s going to have to fight more than just the stopwatch. Losing to your teammate over and over starts to mess with your head. Russell began the season as the guy to beat, but the longer this keeps up, the tougher it gets to grab hold of the story again.
He’s holding firm, for now. But F1 doesn’t wait for anyone. What does Russell call “just a tricky run”? Well, if momentum doesn’t swing his way soon, it could become a whole lot more than that.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES FRONT ROW IN MIAMI AS RED BULL UPGRADES DELIVER IMMEDIATE RESULTS
Charles Leclerc admitted surprise at Red Bull's pace after Max Verstappen finished P2, just 0.166s behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc expected Red Bull to bounce back, but he couldn’t help admiring Max Verstappen’s raw speed at the Miami Grand Prix.
Red Bull rolled into Miami with a big upgrade, looking to recover after a rough start to the season. Verstappen, a four-time world champ, landed his Red Bull in second during qualifying. He was only 0.166 seconds behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, nearly snatching pole. After qualifying, Verstappen said he finally feels like he’s back in control of his car.
Leclerc was impressed by the turnaround. “Honestly, it’s not shocking to see Kimi up there. Mercedes has been the quickest team this year, and Kimi’s been amazing these last few races,” Leclerc said. “But Max and Red Bull are coming back like this? That’s a bit more surprising. The upgrades clearly worked, and you can’t forget how strong that team really is. You never expect them to just sit back and accept a slow start.”
He added, “We figured they’d come back swinging, but to see them right back on the front row after struggling at the start… that’s something else. It’s pretty remarkable. Still, my job’s the same: beat those guys. That’s where my head’s at right now.”
Leclerc had to settle for third on the grid for Sunday’s race. Ferrari looked strong early in qualifying, but their hopes faded by Q3.
He talked about the changing conditions, but didn’t think that’s what hurt Ferrari. “The wind definitely played a part, but track temperature wasn’t all that different, so I don’t think that’s the reason,” he said. “Maybe the track changed, and we didn’t see it coming, or maybe pushing harder today in qualifying just made our car’s weak spots stand out more.”
Leclerc admitted he hadn’t dug into the numbers yet; he’d just gotten out of the car. “We’ll have to check the details to figure out exactly where we lost time.”
