Jenson Button loved what he saw in Lando Norris onboard footage at Qatar Grand Prix

Lando Norris is looking to deliver the constructors’ championship for McLaren this year. He’s officially lost out on the drivers’ title, with Max Verstappen crowned in Las Vegas a week before the Qatar Grand Prix.

Norris only had the pace to finish sixth in Sin City as McLaren struggled in the unusually cold temperatures. But they were more optimistic heading to Qatar.

While it isn’t as warm as expected in Lusail, the layout is more suited to the MCL38 too. Rather than tight, slow-speed corners, the circuit almost exclusively features sweeping medium-to-high-speed turns.

McLaren retain a 24-point lead over Ferrari despite losing ground last time out. They can secure the title this weekend if they outscore the Scuderia by 20, though that would require near-perfection.

It has taken time for Norris to digest the events of the Sao Paulo GP, where he had an opportunity to ignite the title race but walked away more than 62 points behind Verstappen. But he can still make this a special season by helping the team win their first title of the 21st century.

Jenson Button says Lando Norris made it look ‘easy’ for McLaren at Qatar Grand Prix

McLaren took another small step towards glory with an impressive Sprint qualifying showing in Qatar. Norris took pole position, with Oscar Piastri third behind the Mercedes of George Russell.

While Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had set a dominant pace in practice, Norris looked untouchable throughout the Friday night session. He was half a second clear of the pack in SQ1 and two-tenths ahead in SQ2.

Russell managed to get within a tenth in the shoot-out as Norris made a comparatively small gain from the medium to the soft tyre. But the driver who scored the first Sprint pole of the year also took the last.

During SQ2, 2009 world champion Jenson Button marvelled at Norris’ confidence behind the wheel. He was particularly impressed with his run to turn SQ3 as he effortlessly picked up the throttle with the car totally planted.

“Just a slight lift through 15,” Button observed on Sky Sports F1. “Oh, it just looks easy doesn’t it!”

Lando Norris shows McLaren weren’t reliant on controversial trick to be fast

McLaren initially planned to bring their controversial low-downforce rear wing to the Las Vegas GP. But they had to modify it after discussions with the FIA.

Piastri used the ‘mini DRS’ trick to win the Azerbaijan GP. But rear-facing footage afterwards enraged their rivals.

There was a ‘firm belief’ that McLaren had lost performance after the enforced wing changes. Now it looks as if it was more of a temperature-related issue in Vegas.

If Piastri can pass Russell in Saturday’s Sprint, though, the team may face a dilemma. Zak Brown says McLaren are ‘keeping score’ over team orders, and Norris may owe the Australian a win after he moved aside in the same event in Brazil.