Last weekend in Brazil, Lando Norris had a great chance to close the gap to Max Verstappen. Starting from pole, he was in an ideal position, especially with Verstappen starting way back in 17th.

However, things didn’t go as planned for Norris. He struggled with the car's pace in wet conditions, made a few driving mistakes, had issues with his brakes locking up, and was hit by a red flag at a bad time. These setbacks led to a sixth-place finish, while Verstappen put on an amazing performance to win the race.

Now, with only three races left, Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen, making it nearly impossible to challenge him for the championship as the gap after the next race in Las Vegas, can't be 60 or more points, otherwise it's over.

Before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the team hoped for a double win—Norris going up against Verstappen, and McLaren strengthening its first place in the Constructors’ standings. But while Norris’s sixth-place finish was disappointing, McLaren did manage to increase its lead in the Constructors’ race, thanks in part to Sergio Perez’s difficulties and a weaker performance from Ferrari. 

Following that, McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, revealed that helping Norris try to catch Verstappen was never their top priority. Instead, the team has always been focused on claiming the title in the Constructors’ Championship.

“In terms of the Constructors’ Championship, I don’t think it changes anything because it was always our priority,” said Stella quoted by Motorsport Week.

“Even when there was a call to be made to support one driver or the other, it was always secondary to actually maximizing the Constructors’ Championship.”

He added: “When it comes to the drivers’ championship, I don’t think for Lando there was any particular pressure.

“We were enjoying this quest, even though sometimes from the outside it may come across like there is an error here or there maybe.

“Mathematically we are still in the [drivers’] championship, but I think for Lando and for Oscar, we will go to the next races trying to win the races.

“The last two venues should be quite good. Vegas will be potentially more of a Ferrari track, and then we will see. It is all to play for, and the constructors’ championship remains and has always been our priority.”

As the Las Vegas Grand Prix approaches, Verstappen stands a strong chance of securing his fourth world title, needing only to outscore Norris by two or more points.