The World Championship race in Formula 1 is getting more and more heated. This weekend there will be a street circuit spectacle in Las Vegas (live on RTL). Gerhard Berger sees a crash risk at McLaren, as the F1 icon explained in an exclusive interview.
Lando Norris leads Formula 1 ahead of the third-to-last Grand Prix of the season with a lead of 24 points over his McLaren colleague Oscar Piastri. The lead over defending champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is already 49 points.
McLaren therefore has the best chance of winning the drivers’ championship after the constructors’ championship. The next step can be taken in Las Vegas (the qualifying on Saturday from 4:30 a.m. and the race on Sunday from 4:00 a.m. live on RTL).
“I’m betting on Norris, if he doesn’t make any big mistakes and luck is on his side, he’ll do it,” ventured Gerhard Berger in an exclusive interview with RTL/ntv and sport.de a forecast.
But: “Piastri shouldn’t be underestimated. He was in a slump, he’s still making mistakes because of a lack of experience, but now the slump may be over. And Max Verstappen never fluctuates, but the point gap is too big. He only has outside chances to pull the fish out of the water, for example if both McLarens fail,” said the Austrian.
After Piastri led Formula 1 for many months this season, Norris took over the top position at the Mexican Grand Prix at the end of October.
Video: Vegas gets ready for Formula 1
There is a risk of a crash in the final sprint, “because both are racing for the world championship. Both drivers will go all out and the team has to hope that they don’t collide,” said Berger about the Papaya duel.
Norris preferred? “That’s nonsense to me”
However, the expert doesn’t want to know anything about Norris being favored. “That’s nonsense to me. Technically and in terms of the team, both are treated equally. Maybe it was [Teamchef] Zac Brown prefers Norris a bit, which of course has a mental effect on the second driver. But a professional who makes that much money has to deal with that pressure. And Zac Brown would cut himself in the flesh. If Norris is out, he needs Piastri to be successful, otherwise Verstappen will win the World Cup,” said Berger.
Keyword Verstappen: The former racing driver is tipping the four-time champion to be the race winner at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.