Norris will 'do everything' to keep hopes alive

Lando Norris said helium volition "do everything" imaginable to support the Formula 1 drivers’ title live successful the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The McLaren operator starts sixth, 1 spot down title person Max Verstappen.

Mercedes' George Russell is connected rod presumption from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who was divided from team-mate Charles Leclerc by a beardown show from Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

Verstappen starts the contention 62 points up of Norris and volition clinch a 4th consecutive rubric if helium finishes up of the Briton connected Saturday nighttime nether the lights of Sin City (06:00 GMT connected Sunday).

Norris needs to people astatine slightest 3 points much than Verstappen to instrumentality the contention to the adjacent lawsuit successful Qatar successful a week’s time.

The Briton said: "I volition bash everything I can. That's what I'm present to do. I'm not going to springiness up 'til the extremity adjacent if chances are highly thin.

"I'm present to bash the champion successful each contention I tin whether I'm warring for a title oregon not.

"We person him conscionable up of america today. We person a accidental to bushed him tomorrow."

Norris admitted that it was realistically lone a substance of clip earlier Verstappen was crowned champion.

"Whether helium wins oregon not tomorrow, for maine it is not going to alteration anything, helium is beauteous apt to triumph the championship," Norris said.

"Do I privation it could person gone a spot further? Sure. But the contention was mislaid successful the archetypal races of the year, erstwhile Max got excessively acold ahead. I americium arrogant and blessed with what we’ve done."

The 24-year-old said helium had struggled successful qualifying with his car, which was not suited to the conditions oregon the circuit type.

"Be optimistic and look up to what we tin achieve," helium said. "I don’t expect thing much, for sure."

Verstappen and Red Bull person besides struggled successful Las Vegas. The Dutchman was 0.485secs disconnected rod presumption and said it was "a spot of a surprise" to beryllium up of the McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri, who starts eighth.

"I don’t deliberation we tin combat with Ferrari oregon Mercedes," Verstappen said. "They person been excessively speedy and Lewis is starting P10, truthful helium volition determination forward."

Hamilton has been speedy each play and was fastest successful the 2nd league of qualifying and 2nd down Russell successful the first. But mistakes connected his 2 laps successful the last league near him 10th connected the grid.

"It didn’t enactment erstwhile it mattered," Hamilton said. "I tried, it didn’t travel off. I should person been connected pole, I person pace, which is the affirmative to travel from it."

The contention triumph is expected to beryllium fought betwixt Russell and the 2 Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, who starts 4th but has shown the strongest gait connected contention runs this weekend.

Russell said Mercedes had not expected their gait this play aft a hard tally of races.

"It's been a existent astonishment for each of us," Russell said. "And it's thing we request to truly reappraisal due to the fact that this is an outlier circuit.

"We haven't done thing retired of the mean specifically for Vegas, but for immoderate reason, the conditions, the layout, is playing successful our favour. And I'm benignant of scratching my caput arsenic to why."

Russell said the contention was hard to foretell due to the fact that fewer teams had done overmuch mileage connected the mean and hard tyres that volition beryllium used, alternatively than the brushed successful qualifying.

"You're going to beryllium learning connected the fly," helium said. "It's going to beryllium astir apt surviving that archetypal stint and going from there.

"But, you know, present successful Vegas, thing tin happen. It's a agelong race. There was a timely information car for a fig of radical past year, and we besides saw that past contention successful Brazil.

"So, you know, close present I'm precise happy, precise satisfied, but I'm not taking thing for granted going into the race."

Sainz said: "We are genuinely warring for the triumph with Mercedes tomorrow. Whenever they get it together, they are very, precise accelerated and the fastest, similar they've shown today. So I deliberation we're decidedly going to combat George."

And Leclerc is besides confident.

"The gait is there," helium said. "I americium precise accelerated aft 3 laps but successful qualifying you cannot spend to bash that.

"Carlos has been overmuch amended than maine successful putting the tyres successful the model for the archetypal lap. I tried my champion to amended but my past tally was a nightmare, my fronts were crystal acold and I had brainsick understeer each circular the lap.

"We are beardown successful contention gait and we volition bash our champion to travel back. I americium not lone targeting the podium. I would similar a triumph and if we bash everything cleanable the gait is there."