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LUSAIL – Max Verstappen won comfortably in Las Vegas with his fourth world title, but the battle for Formula 1’s biggest cash prize heats up this week in Qatar.

The lucrative Constructors’ Championship is still wide open, with McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull battling it out for the title. The competition for teams is worth approximately $140 million to the winner, although the exact payout depends on variables.

This weekend in Qatar, a sprint race on Saturday means extra points are on offer: a maximum of 59 for a team over the entire weekend.

McLaren leads Ferrari by 24 points, with Verstappen’s Red Bull 29 further back. McLaren could seal its first constructors’ crown since 1998 this Sunday and clinch the title ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi next week, but would likely need a perfect weekend or Ferrari would be in trouble.

Norris on pole for sprint

McLaren’s Lando Norris beat Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.063 seconds to take pole position on Friday for Saturday’s sprint race. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri is third, .159 off the pace, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr.’s two Ferraris. and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen is sixth.

“Great qualifying today, especially coming back from where we were last time in Vegas,” said Norris, whose title hopes ended with sixth place behind Verstappen in Las Vegas. “We came here to get pole and we did it, so the job is done for today.”

Leclerc led the way in the only practice session earlier Friday, with Norris 0.425 seconds slower and Piastri 0.047 further back. Verstappen rode 11th.

Playing the team game

McLaren’s bid is the new focus for Norris after his challenge for the drivers’ title ended in Las Vegas last week.

Norris on Thursday dismissed a reported claim from Verstappen that he could have won the crown earlier in a McLaren and stated the Dutch driver tries ‘comedy’. He then came up with his own suggestion. “Red Bull would probably have won the constructors’ championship if they had two drivers as good as Max, that’s for sure,” said Norris.

The contributions of Piastri, who won the sprint race in Qatar as a rookie last year, have been decisive for McLaren’s hopes. Ferraris Leclerc and Sainz were close on the track – and sometimes too close for comfort – all year round.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is the only driver among the top three teams without a race win this year and he sits eighth in the standings with less than half of Verstappen’s points total. Perez was 18th in practice on Friday and qualified 16th for the sprint, his latest dismal results.

Perez, who has faced speculation about his future for most of the year, says he is struggling to make the title-winning Red Bull car suit his driving style.

“It’s very difficult for people to understand when they’re not part of the team,” he said Thursday. “If you can’t get 100% out of your car, it doesn’t matter how good your car is, and this is what happened.”

Drivers won’t feel the heat

Last year’s race in Qatar pushed the drivers to their limits. Esteban Ocon reported being sick as he battled the heat and humidity, while Lance Stroll said he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

The FIA ​​expressed concern that drivers “should not be expected to compete in conditions that could endanger their health or safety”, and this month approved new driver cooling kits for hot races.

Those kits won’t be available until next year, but don’t expect drivers to be clamoring for them in Qatar this week. With the action taking place in November and December instead of early October, much milder weather is forecast than last year, and Stroll said that is “certainly” a relief.

“I have no interest in experiencing the heat of last year in Qatar again,” said the Aston Martin driver.

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AP car racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing