Lando Norris won’t be able to replicate the controversial tactics once used by Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna as he fights for the championship in Abu Dhabi.
The McLaren driver had a chance to secure his first world title in Qatar, but a mix of his own mistake and questionable team strategy means the battle now goes to the final round. Norris and Oscar Piastri were the only drivers who didn’t pit during the lap-seven safety car, effectively giving Max Verstappen the lead. Piastri still finished second, while Norris recovered to fourth. Norris now leads Verstappen by 12 points, with Piastri 16 points behind after losing a likely win due to McLaren’s strategy call. All three can still win the championship in Abu Dhabi, though Norris only needs a podium to seal the title.
Because he’s fighting two rivals, Norris cannot consider the kind of controversial tactics used in the past. Schumacher and Senna both secured titles by colliding with their championship opponents in the final round—Schumacher in 1994 and 1997, and Senna in 1990. Although those moves remain part of their complicated legacies, they were undeniably unsportsmanlike.
With two challengers instead of one, Norris cannot afford to compromise his own race. A DNF would almost certainly cost him the championship. Even if he attempted to take out both rivals, doing so without the FIA proving intent would be nearly impossible. Schumacher always denied deliberate wrongdoing, saying he was simply defending his position, while Senna openly admitted his collision with Alain Prost was intentional, claiming it was retaliation for the previous season.
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