Lando Norris has admitted that his mistake at the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was ‘pretty embarrassing’.
Norris lined up alongside Max Verstappen on the front row and had no intention of letting the Dutchman get ahead of him into Turn 1.
The Brit launched off the line and flew past Verstappen as they entered the braking zone, but unfortunately for Norris he overcooked it by some margin.
After outbraking himself, Norris went long and off the track, allowing Verstappen and George Russell behind him to swoop past as he rejoined down in third place.
Speaking after the race, the McLaren star – who has faced criticism in the past for his race starts – gave an honest assessment of the incident.
“Pretty embarrassing. I need to learn from Turn 1 and try to do a better job than I’ve been doing recently,” Norris told Sky Sports.
“You’ve got to be punchy into Turn 1,” he added. “I was just a bit too punchy, and that cost me. So that’s the way it is sometimes.”
Norris and Verstappen set for F1 showdown
Although the move didn’t end up costing Norris the race win – he has subsequent car issues and a disqualification to thank for that – the McLaren driver likely cannot afford a repeat should he find himself on the front row with Verstappen in Qatar or Abu Dhabi.
He is now just 24 points ahead of Verstappen, as well as his team-mate Oscar Piastri, with two grands prix weekends left, including a sprint race in Qatar where an additional eight points are on offer.
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 390 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 366 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 366 |
On paper it sounds simple, all Norris needs to do is finish in second regardless of where Verstappen ends up and he will be champion.
But as the race start in Vegas showed us, it is seldom that simple.
The Dutchman will have the bit between his teeth as he hunts down Norris to tie Michael Schumacher’s record for five consecutive drivers’ titles.
Regardless of who you might be supporting this year, we are in store for an incredible end to the season.
