Brundle labelled Norris ‘the king of the weekend’ as he took home a maximum of 33 points, finishing P1 in all four competitive sessions during the Brazil Sprint weekend.

With just three race weekends remaining, Norris has built up a margin of almost a race win to teammate Oscar Piastri, while Max Verstappen could mathematically be ruled out of contention at the next race in Las Vegas.

The former F1 driver singled also out Norris’ final qualifying run as his ‘highlight of the weekend’.

He said: “This was a big pressure moment, the pack was intensely close, and he delivered a measured but fast lap, fastest in all three sectors and through the top speed trap, to claim pole position which seems essential these days for victory.”

However Brundle also warned that the championship fight could still take a sharp turn.

He added: “A shunt or reliability issue can turn that [Norris’ lead] around in a heartbeat, and although I would expect McLaren to be very strong in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, it's the cold slippery surface of Vegas which could throw them a curve ball."

McLaren have yet to find their rhythm around the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit since F1 returned their in 2023.

Las Vegas was the source of McLaren's most recent double Q1 knockout in 2023 and the team did not fare much better in the race. Norris crashed out on the second lap after losing control over the bumps while teammate Oscar Piastri could only manage P10, abeit from P18 on the grid.

In 2024 the team P6 and P7 more than 40 seconds behind race winner George Russell.

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