SAO PAULO (AP) \u2014 Four races, three drivers, two sprints and the world title on the line.<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen resume their fight in Formula 1 this weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Norris, coming off a win in Mexico City, leads the driver standings by one point over Piastri.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m feeling good and looking forward to being back out on track. Bring it on,\u201d Norris said.<\/p>\n
He topped the first practice over Piastri on Friday while Sauber\u2019s Nico Hulkenberg was third. Verstappen finished 17th.<\/p>\n
Piastri has struggled lately; he’s winless in five races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it doesn\u2019t change anything now that the championship order is a bit different,” Piastri said. “I\u2019ll be trying to just go as fast as I can and take the same risks that I normally do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piastri won seven of the first 15 grands prix and built a 104-point lead over defending champion Verstappen, who has closed the gap to 36 points behind Norris, the closest he\u2019s been to the leaders since May.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just try to do everything we can until the end,\u201d Verstappen said. \u201cIt\u2019s 36 points, still a decent gap. At one point when you are over 100 points behind and we are still talking about being in this fight, that is very impressive.”<\/p>\n
Verstappen knows how to win in Brazil after victories in 2019, 2023 and 2024, when he fought from 17th at the start.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman has shown great poise at the Interlagos circuit, a track featuring climbs and drops with changes of gradient. The middle sector has slow corners where aerodynamic downforce can make the difference.<\/p>\n
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AP auto racing: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/auto-racing<\/a><\/p>\n