ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Lando Norris is nervous about starting directly behind title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris qualified an impressive third for Sunday’s race, with Verstappen and Hamilton occupying the two spots on the front row.
There are fears of the championship ending in a collision between the pair, with three previous incidents between them this season.
Norris does not want to unintentionally impact how the title decider plays out at the start of the race.
“I’m a bit nervous, because I kind of want to just stay where I am and just watch everything unfold over the first few laps, or even the whole race,” Norris said.
“I also don’t want to really get involved too much because it can cause a lot of controversy. So I don’t know. I don’t know whether to go for the move or not go for the move … you tell me. But I’ll do my best and, if I have a chance, I’ll go for it.”
Norris’ impressive lap saw him qualify ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton’s teammates — Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, respectively — as well as former Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in fifth.
With Verstappen and Hamilton level on points, the driver who finishes in front of the other will win the title in almost every situation, although Verstappen wins if Hamilton is ninth and Verstappen is 10th but gets the bonus point for fastest lap. Verstappen wins the championship in the case of a tie as he has won one more race than Hamilton this season.
Source: www.espn.com