What Lando Norris needs to become F1 world champion in Qatar

Lando Norris remains in pole position to win his maiden F1 world championship.

McLaren were thrown out of the race results in Las Vegas after Norris and Oscar Piastri's MCL39s were both found to have excessive plank wear, dramatically changing the completion of the title race battle.

The British driver now heads the championship with 396 points, 22 points clear of teammate Piastri with two rounds to go. 

Norris was beaten to pole position for the penultimate grand prix of the season by Piastri. 

When - and how - can Norris win the title?

Norris can become Briton’s 11th world champion in Qatar this weekend. 

To do so, Norris needs to leave Qatar with a 26-point buffer over his rivals. 

In the most simple terms, Norris will be crowned world champion if he wins Sunday's Grand Prix. 

Norris will also seal the deal if he outscores Piastri by four points.

Should he fail to do so, the championship battle will go down to the wire at next weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

Speaking before his Las Vegas disqualification was confirmed, Norris insisted that he will not change his approach.

"I've never been in that position before, so I probably can't really answer it,” he said. "But nothing feels different now, even though that is the opportunity I'm entering into. So, no, I treat it the same.

"I treat it like I want to go and win. I'll do everything I can to try and win the race. It's certainly a lot more fun when you win than when you come second.

"My goal is to win both races to the end of the season, and the sprint as well. So I'll try and win all three.

"I just focus on having a few days off and obviously shifting the time zone all the way back to wherever we have to get back to, and then focusing on FP1.”

What about Max Verstappen?

Red Bull's Max Verstappen's title hopes are hanging by a thread and the Dutchman must beat Norris on Sunday to remain in the hunt. He starts third, one place behind the championship leader. 

Verstappen remarkably brought himself back into contention with a truly stunning second half of the season to reduce what was a 104-point deficit to the championship summit following his home race at Zandvoort.

Since then, Verstappen has been on the podium at every race. The Dutchman has won four races, as well as securing two second-place finishes and a pair of third places.

Verstappen’s incredible consistency and dogged determination has kept him in the hunt, and McLaren’s double-whammy exclusion win Las Vegas has given him an unexpected and timely boost.

But Verstappen knows that winning a fifth consecutive world championship will require a major slice of luck. If he were to achieve the unthinkable, it would go down as the greatest comeback in F1 history.