The conflict in Lando Norris’ mind as he closes on his first world title was clear after he took pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Norris expertly navigated the treacherous wet conditions on a track almost devoid of grip to take pole position from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by a margin of 0.323 seconds – a gap that could have been significantly larger had the Briton not had a major wobble through the chicane at the end of the Strip on his fastest lap.
Norris goes into the race 24 points ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who starts fifth, and 49 clear of Verstappen. All year, as the championship has unfolded, he has insisted he is taking the season one race at a time, and not changing his approach.
But in the post-qualifying news conference, it seemed he was already weighing the question of risk versus reward, with Verstappen, renowned for his aggressive approach to starts, alongside him with much less to lose.
Norris said: “I’m here to win. I’m not here to not take risks. I still want to go out and win. So I’ll be making sure I can do everything that I can.
“But it’s still one step at a time – get a good start, good opening lap, that kind of thing – and just go from there.”
The prize on offer for Norris in the grand prix on Saturday night in Sin City (04:00 GMT on Sunday) is obvious, even for someone trying not to think about it.
Win the race, and he can put himself on the brink of the title.
The Briton is already nearly a clear win ahead of Piastri in the championship. If he pulls further clear, he can go to Qatar next weekend in a position to clinch the title with one race still to go.
Verstappen is pretty much out of contention already, given the size of his deficit. But if Norris can gain nine points on the Dutchman – not easy, with seven between a win and second place – then the Red Bull driver will no longer mathematically be able to win the title.
Still Norris is trying to think only of the immediate task ahead, and the threat Verstappen poses for victory, and more immediately, on the run to the first corner.
The four-time champion is on the inside line, and if he runs true to form may well try to push Norris wide on the entry to claim the lead, as he did with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the inaugural race here in 2023.
“He’s been quick and if you expect anything less, then you don’t know what he’s capable of,” Norris said. “So yeah, I expect a battle. I expect a battle through the whole race.”
