Verstappen managed to achieve a podium finish in Brazil despite starting in the pit lane

Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen will be a threat heading into the final three races of the year.

Norris extended his lead at the summit of the standings to 24 points over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri following a dominant victory at Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The impressive performance from the McLaren driver is a major stride towards knocking the Dutchman off his world championship perch.

Verstappen fought back from a pit-lane start to claim a brilliant third in Interlagos and restricted the title damage to Norris to 10 points.

However, he now trails the British driver by 49 points with just 83 points available across the concluding three rounds.

After the race, Norris said: “I’m sure Max is going to be a threat in terms of races, and you never know with the championship. So, it’s pointless trying to guess and come up with these things.

“With how quick he was, he would have won if he started higher up. But that’s racing. Not everyone puts it together, and it’s easy to make mistakes in the world that we live in.

“Max will be a threat because he always is. He’s always there, he’s always fighting, and I’m sure he’ll fight to the end. I look forward to it.”

Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen will be a threat heading into the final races of the year

 | PA

Verstappen appeared down and out in the title race when he was cast 104 points adrift following the Dutch Grand Prix on the final day of August.

However, the Red Bull man, bidding to win five world titles in a row, hauled himself back into the contest with several impressive drives in a car that has been inferior to Norris’ McLaren.

In a setback to his chances, the Dutchman suffered a shock Q1 exit in qualifying in Sao Paulo, and immediately wrote off his title chances.

Verstappen managed to achieve a podium finish despite starting in the pit lane.

Norris will look to further extend his advantage on the Las Vegas Strip on November 22

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The Red Bull champion said: “We didn’t lose the championship here. We lost the championship from the first race of the season until Zandvoort.

“We had a lot of weekends where we simply were not quick enough.

“Then, of course, there is a big gap to the front. We had good moments where you get some points back, but not enough, and that’s how the season goes.”

Norris will look to further extend his advantage on the Las Vegas Strip on November 22 before the penultimate race in Qatar on November 30 and the season finale in Abu Dhabi a week later.

Norris dedicated his Brazilian Grand Prix win to Gil de Ferran

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Norris dedicated his Brazilian Grand Prix win to Gil de Ferran, the 2003 Indy 500 winner and former McLaren consultant, who sadly passed away in late 2023.

The race saw several incidents, including a chaotic restart that took Charles Leclerc out of the race and Lewis Hamilton retiring after a collision on the first lap.

Addressing the media after winning the Sao Paulo GP, Lando Norris said: “Crazy race! Nice to win here in Brazil.

“It’s an amazing track, amazing fans. This was for one of my mentors Gil [de Ferran]. A perfect weekend.”