Lando Norris warned F1 title could still be taken away in one moment despite advantage

Lando Norris is now the clear championship favourite after a dominant weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where he won both the Sprint and main races to put daylight between himself and nearest challenger Oscar Piastri. But the Brit has also been reminded that his points advantage in the Formula 1 title race could still evaporate in an instant.

Norris is now 24 points ahead of his McLaren team-mate. That gap might have only stood at 16 points, had the Australian not copped a controversial 10-second time penalty for his role in a collision with Kimi Antonelli early in Sunday's Grand Prix which turned what looked set to be a trip to the second step of the podium into a fifth-placed finish.

There are three rounds remaining, including one more Sprint race to come in Qatar, and so a points gap almost equal to a full Grand Prix race win is a significant one. However, all it takes is one mis-step or slice of misfortune and Norris could find himself in the role of the hunter again, rather than his current position as the hunted.

Former F1 team owner pointed that out as he wrote in his column: "It was a weekend that could have tipped the world championship in Lando Norris' favour, given the number of mistakes made by his team-mate and main rival for the title.

"There are still three GPs and one Sprint race left, and it will take little for him to find himself on zero points - as happened to Piastri in the Sprint race. But, at the moment, Norris is leading with great composure, managing his tyres and car perfectly. It was a great show of strength by McLaren, but above all by Lando."

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The Italian also had plenty of praise for Antonelli, who has had a mixed debut season in F1 up to now but who has rediscovered his best form after a difficult run during the European portion of the season. The Mercedes teenager finished second behind Norris in both Interlagos races at the weekend, securing his best Grand Prix result to date.

And he did so by holding off the charging Max Verstappen at the end of Sunday's race, remaining impressively calm under the pressure. Minardi added: "Kimi Antonelli's performance for the entire weekend is to be applauded: second in qualifying, second in the Sprint race and in the GP.

"He masterfully resisted Verstappen's comeback in the final laps, managing his tyres and race pace in the best way possible. We have a young man who is growing, making the experience gained in his first season in F1 bear fruit, including the mistakes that are part of a rookie's growth path."