Formula 1: Lando Norris suddenly on the brink of elimination

McLaren's Lando Norris entered Interlagos Circuit sitting 47 points behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 world championship standings after taking 10 points out of his rival's lead in Mexico last weekend.

Norris took a further three points out of Verstappen's lead in the Sao Paulo sprint race, as teammate Oscar Piastri let him by to take the win while Verstappen was demoted from third to fourth place after having been deemed too close to Piastri before the virtual safety car restart.

Things got worse for Verstappen when he was caught out by a red flag in Q2. He finished the session in 12th place, and he was already set to take a five-position grid penalty due to an engine change.

Norris, who barely made it into Q2, improved throughout the session and rebounded to take the pole position.

But yet again, Norris lost the lead from pole at the start, this time to Mercedes' George Russell, and he never recovered. An untimely red flag also did not help the cause after he had already made a pit stop for new tires.

Verstappen, on the other hand, drove from 17th on the grid to the lead in the wet conditions, and he won the race by more than 19 seconds for his eighth victory of the year and first since June.

Verstappen's 62nd career victory has been largely considered the best drive of his Formula 1 career.

Pre-race favorite Norris, however, had multiple off-track excursions and could only manage a sixth place finish – yet again after team orders removed Piastri from out in front of him.

On a day when he started off provisionally 25 points ahead of Verstappen, he was outscored by 18 points by his title rival.

Maybe Sky Sports were right when they said in qualifying that this could be the race that is looked back on as the turning point in the world championship battle. Just not exactly how they thought, with Norris starting 16 spots ahead of Verstappen and then finishing five spots behind the 27-year-old Dutchman.

Instead of sitting 19 points out of the world championship lead with three Grands Prix in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi and a sprint race in Qatar remaining on the schedule, Norris is 62 points behind.

There are 86 points remain on the table for each driver throughout the rest of the 2024 season. Race wins pay 25 points, and an additional point is paid to the driver who runs the fastest lap, provided he finishes inside the top 10. Additionally, sprint wins pay eight.

After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, that number drops to 60. Verstappen has already clinched the tiebreaker over Norris, as he has eight wins this year; Norris has three and therefore cannot pass him in that category before the end of the season.

As a result, Norris needs to be within 59 points of Verstappen, not just 60, leaving Las Vegas.

Norris has outscored Verstappen by at least three points in eight of 21 race weekends this season, including five of the last seven. But he has not outscored him by more than 15, and he needs to average 21 per weekend to win the world championship now.

FanDuel Sportsbook lists Verstappen as the -6000 favorite to win the title. Norris is listed at +1800.

Odds and availability are always subject to change.

The next race on the 2024 Formula 1 schedule is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is set to be shown live on ESPN from Las Vegas Strip Circuit beginning at 12:55 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 24. Will Verstappen become a four-time world champion in this event?