Despite Lando Norris’ dominant victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, a Supercomputer has made an unexpected prediction for the Formula 1 title race. Norris entered Brazil with a one-point lead over his McLaren teammate and rival, Oscar Piastri, and delivered a flawless performance throughout the weekend, winning both the main grand prix and the sprint race.
Piastri’s misfortune in the sprint race, where he crashed out and finished fifth on Sunday, has widened Norris’ championship lead to 24 points, with reigning champion Max Verstappen now 49 points behind. With only three grand prix remaining in the 2025 season—Las Vegas, Qatar (a sprint weekend), and Abu Dhabi—there are 83 points up for grabs.
Just a few weeks ago, Norris was third-favorite to win the title, but he is now the clear frontrunner as he aims to become McLaren’s first champion since Sir Lewis Hamilton in 2008. JeffBet’s F1 Supercomputer predicts that the 25-year-old will secure the title, but it surprisingly forecasts that he will not win any more races this season.
Instead, the Supercomputer anticipates that Verstappen will take maximum points in the last four races and finish narrowly behind Norris, who will continue to finish on the podium and maintain his lead over his rivals.
2025 F1 Standings After Sao Paulo Grand Prix
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 390pts
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 366pts
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 341pts
Piastri’s poor form is expected to persist, with the Australian slipping to third place despite leading the standings for much of the year. Although Red Bull experienced a resurgence after the summer break, Verstappen has repeatedly ruled himself out of title contention. However, Norris disagrees, believing that Verstappen could still become only the second driver after Michael Schumacher to win five consecutive championships.
“I’m sure Max is going to be a threat in terms of races, and you never know with the championship. So, it’s pointless trying to guess and come up with these things,” the Brit said after his victory in Brazil.
“With how quick he was, he would have won if he started higher up. But that’s racing. Not everyone puts it together, and it’s easy to make mistakes in the world that we live in.
“Max will be a threat because he always is. He’s always there, he’s always fighting, and I’m sure he’ll fight to the end. I look forward to it.”
When can Lando Norris win the F1 title?
Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive F1 championship in Vegas last year, but Norris won’t be able to achieve the same feat. Even if everything went perfectly in Sin City during the weekend of November 21-23, Norris would lead Piastri by 49 points, with 58 points still available in the final two grand prix. As a result, the championship will be decided either in Qatar on November 28-30 or the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 5-7.
How Does the Supercomputer Work?
JeffBet explains: “This was done by simulating all remaining races and sprints 10,000 times. We used pre-calculated chances by a model that gave each driver the chance of winning in each session. DNF chances were included based on the number of times the driver has done so this season.
“Using these 10,000 simulations, we are able to cover all different types of possibilities to see how likely it is each driver would finish where in the championship with their average result.”
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