All about how Norris handles pressure: Button on F1's three-way title showdown

NEW DELHI: The Formula 1 championship is "for Lando Norris to lose", and how the McLaren driver handles pressure of the final race weekend will ultimately determine the title, feels former world champion Jenson Button.

The drivers' title will be decided in a three-way showdown in Abu Dhabi on Sunday involving McLaren duo Norris and Oscar Piastri, and four-time champion Max Verstappen.

Norris enters the finale as the on-paper favourite, leading Verstappen by 12 points and Piastri by 16 and just needs a podium finish to win the title.

"Even if Max wins the race, it's not down to Max this weekend. It's all how Lando deals with the pressure. And that's what's going to win the championship for either Max or Lando," Button said.

Button added that Verstappen's experience in handling crunch moments gives the Red Bull driver a major advantage.

"It's a massive advantage because Max is like, you know what, if I win this year, it's great. If I don't, I go home, we have a winter break and we come out next year and we fight for a world championship. He's very relaxed.

"The thing about Max is he's just there to go racing. He loves the competition. He loves winning. So there's no pressure on his shoulders," Button said during an online interaction facilitated by FanCode, the official broadcaster of F1.

In contrast, both Norris and Piastri are chasing their maiden world titles and will be under immense pressure which could hamper their performance.

"Whereas the other two, a lot of pressure, it's the first time they've had an opportunity to fight for a world championship. That is a big deal. This is their dream. It could be their dreams coming true."

"You can tighten up under that pressure and it really can affect you. Even if you have the quickest car at the last race, qualifying might not go your way because you're not able to extract the maximum because you're not relaxed," Button said.

Button was impressed by Norris' surge in the second half of the season, during which the Briton overturned what had been a 34-point lead for Piastri at the end of August.

"Lando has really been impressive in the second part of the season. At the start of the year, it felt like mentally he wasn't in the right place and he was making mistakes and not performing at his best, feeling the pressure.

"But I think because it's such a long season, he's been able to get through all that, the mental side of things. And the last few races you've seen that, the consistency of his performances compared to his teammate."

However, Button feels Norris still can't take on Vertsappen in a close combat.

"Obviously when you go up against someone like Max, it's a different thing altogether. It's a different beast altogether. And we still see in close combat, like in Vegas, that Lando still can't take on Max.

"But he doesn't have to. You know, if he's quick enough to be in the top three in qualifying, he's just got to get through that turn one and then the race will come to him, I think. So it is definitely Lando's to lose.

"But as we've seen championships won from a long, a lot further back in this last race. So it's still open."