Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri are both 24 points behind F1 standings leader Lando Norris.

Lando Norris says he is calm despite being able to seal the F1 title in Qatar this weekend (Image: Getty)

Lando Norris insists Max Verstappen is no more of a threat to him than Oscar Piastri despite the four-time champion having all the momentum in the Formula 1 title race. Because of McLaren’s double disqualification from the Las Vegas race last weekend, and Verstappen’s victory, the Red Bull racer is now 24 points behind Norris and level with Piastri.

The Dutchman’s Vegas win was his fourth in the last seven, since Red Bull introduced an upgrade at the Italian Grand Prix in September which has catapulted him back into contention for a fifth consecutive drivers’ title. In contrast, Piastri has been slipping further back with each passing weekend and has not stood on a podium since that race in Monza nearly three months ago.

Regardless, Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix that he doesn’t see one of his rivals are more of a threat than the other. He told reporters: “Both are the same, I think they are both just as good as one another. I know what Max is capable of and I think Oscar is capable of the same as what Max can do.

“Both have pros and cons, I think Max being in a different team and Oscar being in the champion team. Each driver wants to fight for their own thing and prove they are the best. I think they are both competitive, both very strong and both incredible drivers. I’m excited to give them both a good fight on track.”

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri are level on points heading into the Qatar race (Image: Getty)

Verstappen’s title chances were unrealistic until the moment both McLaren drivers were thrown out of the Las Vegas race because their cars failed post-race checks. It cost Norris 18 points and gave the Brit two rivals to worry about rather than just his team-mate, but how he will approach racing against the Dutchman will not change.

He said: “We’ve treated him as a threat the whole year, even when he was a few more points behind. Every briefing we had before every race, in our team meetings, we treated him as a threat because we know what he and Red Bull are capable of, so nothing changes now. He’s still the threat he has always been through the whole year.

“Nothing changes, we treat it very normally. There’s no point in treating it any differently because we’ve been doing a good job and I’m happy with the job that we’ve all been doing. We know the areas in which we need to do better and what we need to improve on, this year and next year. But it doesn’t need to be treated any differently.”

Norris’ lead is such that, if one of his rivals were to win both the Sprint and the main race in Qatar and also the Abu Dhabi season finale a week later, he would still be champion by simply finishing on the podium. The Brit has put himself in that strong position with a strong recent run since a shaky weekend in Azerbaijan, including dominant back-to-back wins in Mexico and Brazil.

Despite being so close to glory, Norris insists his mentality and approach have not changed. He said: “How I am now feels the same as before Mexico when I wasn’t leading, and the same as Austin when I felt good in the car but Max still won the race.

“I really don’t feel any different in the car, from before I was leading to now that I am leading. You keep bringing it up and the most I think about it when you guys keep talking about it all the time. Otherwise, it doesn’t affect anything. I feel as relaxed as I was before when I was 35 points behind and I feel the same when I’m 24 points ahead – that’s my strength for now.”