How Soon Can the 26-Year-Old British F1 Star Become World Champion?
After retaking the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with a commanding victory in Mexico, Lando Norris strengthened his position even further with a near-perfect weekend in São Paulo, Brazil. With wins in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, the McLaren driver now sits at the top of the standings with 390 points, holding a comfortable buffer over teammate Oscar Piastri at 366 points and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at 341 points. All three remain mathematically in the title fight, but the permutations reveal that Norris is closer than ever to sealing a maiden World Championship. With only three race weekends left in the 2025 season, a maximum of 83 points remains on the table: three Grand Prix victories and the final Sprint win in Qatar. That slim remaining window means every point matters, but it also shows just how strong Norris's position is.
One thing that is certain is that Norris cannot win the title in Las Vegas. Even in the most favorable scenario, in which Norris wins the race and Piastri fails to score. In this case, the championship lead would extend to 49 points, which wouldn’t be enough to lock out his rivals, as 58 points will still be available after Vegas. In this same scenario, Verstappen could finish no better than second to remain behind Piastri. So no matter what happens under the bright lights of Las Vegas, the title fight will continue.
The earliest Norris can mathematically clinch the World Championship is in the second-to-last round of the season, during the Qatar Sprint. However, this would require the Vegas results to fall his way, meaning a win and a non-scoring result for Piastri. He would then need to outscore his teammate by only two points in the Sprint. That means a finish of seventh or better would be enough to secure him the title, regardless of what Verstappen does. Even if the Dutchman were to win the Sprint, his maximum total of 367 points would put him 50 points behind Norris, ensuring that even with two Verstappen wins to end the year, the Brit would take the crown.
Overall, no matter what unfolds, Las Vegas cannot crown Norris champion, but the Qatar Sprint absolutely can. With the points picture narrowing and his rivals needing near-perfect results to stay in the fight, the odds are increasingly shifting in Norris’s favor. His consistency at this stage of the season has made him the clear title favorite, placing him on the brink of achieving a career-defining milestone. With his current momentum, that historic moment is very much in sight.
