Lando Norris still has a lot left to prove before becoming a champion

Verstappen delivered when it mattered most. After his display at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where he was handed two ten-second time penalties for on-track altercations with Norris, the Red Bull driver's back was against the wall.

Questions were raised as to why the three-time F1 champion had resorted to such underhand tactics, despite being in control of his destiny in the drivers' championship.

Frustration certainly played a part. Verstappen went into the Mexico City Grand Prix on a nine-race winless streak, his longest drought for four years, and Norris was still clinging to the hope he could overhaul his friend and rival and clinch an unlikely maiden title triumph.

In those two incidents, we were once again shown a side of Verstappen that previously reared its ugly head in combat with the McLaren star at the United States a week previously, and initially in Austria three months prior, when the stewards again meted out a ten-second penalty for a collision with Norris that forced the Briton into retirement.

When he repeated such tactics in Mexico City, Verstappen was roundly criticised by many willing to offer an opinion. In São Paulo, the negativity was wiped out in a stroke as he produced a drive for the ages, arguably the greatest of his stellar career.

Norris still has a sniff of an opportunity – 62 points adrift with three grands prix and a sprint remaining, leaving 86 points on the table – but in essence, he is wandering in the land of miracle territory.

Instead, the focus has to be on ensuring McLaren wins its first constructors' championship in 26 years. The team has a 36-point lead over Ferrari, with Red Bull a further 13 off the pace. There is everything to play for.

Norris has a lot to prove over the upcoming races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. In stark contrast to what we witnessed at Interlagos, in wretched conditions Norris occasionally lost his footing. The learning curve remains steep for the 25-year-old, as it does for McLaren in many respects.

Red Bull has been there, seen it, done it, and bought the t-shirt when it comes to knowing how to handle a championship fight. It won both the drivers' and constructors' crowns on four consecutive occasions from 2010-2013, and whilst a drought followed, over the past few years it has again been the team to beat.

As for McLaren, it has wistfully looked on, wondering when its time will come again. It was 1998 when McLaren last basked in the glory of being champions. It should have followed up in 2007 but, of course, 'Spygate' rendered that title null and void.

Lewis Hamilton won the first of his seven drivers' championships the following year, since when McLaren has been nothing more than a bit-part player in proceedings – until now.

Now in his sixth season in F1, Norris has been learning his craft over the previous five years, waiting for McLaren to return to contention. Under the gilded leadership of Andrea Stella, it has done so handsomely this campaign.

McLaren, though, is still new to the party when it comes to being a title challenger, as is Norris. Yes, there may be many under Stella with experience in past championship-challenging campaigns, but this is new territory for the team as a whole.

You have to question recent strategy and tactical calls on occasion when the team has been under pressure, and then there is the 'papaya rules' saga that undermined its one-two bid in the Italian Grand Prix and forced McLaren into throwing its weight behind Norris.

As for the Briton, questions have been raised as to whether he truly has what it takes to be a champion.

You look back on Verstappen's campaign and it is hard to recall him putting a wheel out of place, and following his early flourish of seven wins in the first 10 races, he has all too often extracted the maximum from a car that fell off the pace, and at one stage, he even described as "a monster" such were its miserable handling characteristics.

Norris, though, has made errors, many of which have cost him points – São Paulo being a case in point, where some of which almost wrecked an entire weekend. Think Singapore when his car was at its optimum and he was almost untouchable, yet twice he came close to ending up in a barrier.

With the pressure of a drivers' title challenge off to a certain extent going into the final three races, Norris should be able to drive more freely, albeit with the caveat that he knows he will have to perform for the team if it is to end years in the constructors' wilderness.

Over the winter, there will then be time to pause, reflect, and take stock of where and how he can improve for next season, and how better he can handle certain situations both in and out of the car.

One thing is for certain: with McLaren back at the front of the grid, and with next year's cars an extension of this season's machinery (given the overwhelming focus on the new regulations for 2026), it will be a challenger again – as will Norris.

These past few months will have arguably taught Norris more about himself as a driver and what is required to consistently challenge at the sharp end than the previous few years combined.

It will then be a question of application in 2025, of taking the wealth of knowledge he has banked and using it to his advantage, but added to which will be the slate wiped clean with team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Team orders have come into play on a couple of occasions this season, and whilst he has played the team game, deep down, Piastri has not enjoyed obeying. He is a racing driver, after all.

Both will be looking to set out their stall early, with Piastri determined to show that after his own two seasons of learning, he also has what it takes to be a world champion with McLaren. Just how will Norris respond to that particular threat?

Next season is a crucial one for Norris when we, as observers, will learn whether he can strengthen his armoury and take on the dual threat from both within his team and from the wider grid, and assuage the critics, just as Verstappen did with that imperious drive in São Paulo.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.