Not convincing, not definitive, but another few miles nearer to the world title for Lando Norris.

Perhaps if you strain your ears, you can hear Max Verstappen knocking at his door, but only faintly, barely audibly.

Yes, it was the Dutchman, who started second who finished first in the vegas Grand Prix. It was Norris, who started first who finished second.

And when the top three – George Russell completing the triumvirate – took their ride in a pink Lego Cadillac to the podium ceremonials at the Bellagio hotel, and the sky was lit up by fireworks, there remained the distant possibility of a late Verstappen heist but there is barely time left for that.

the و who و was - تفاصيل مهمة

The maths are stacked heavily in Norris’s favour and against Verstappen, and that is before we bring in the other nominal contender Oscar Piastriwho started and finished fourth. There are 58 points still available, and Norris leads Piastri by 30 points and Verstappen by 42.

Only rounds in Qatar next week, when there is also a sprint race worth eight points, and Abu Dhabi the week afterwards, are open to Norris’s pursuers in what looks to be his maiden title success for the taking – unless he sets fire to his hopes in a way he should not.

But did we see some jitteriness in the championship leader? His one blip came at the start. He was well away from pole and covered Verstappen aggressively in moving to his left, but he was too exuberant at the first corner, braking late into the Turn One hairpin 218 yards down from where he started.

‘I f***** it up,’ admitted Norris afterwards. ‘I was too punchy, and it cost me.’

Yet his margin of advantage in the standings permits him some space to err and stray, and he was relaxed despite the error in the post-race interviews.

the و in و was - تفاصيل مهمة

His error at the start saw him lose first place and he fell back into third position, Russell passing his McLaren too.

Verstappen, in truth, was away from this point onwards and always looked assured of adding this victory to his Las Vegas triumph of two years ago.

Norris passed Russell on lap 34 of 50 along the Boulevard, with its famously grandiose hotels, and went on a charge for Verstappen, but he had no extra pace on the Red Bull man. Norris was nursing a problem it seemed as the race closed and was 20 seconds back in the final analysis.

‘Great execution,’ said Verstappen over the radio to his team after Catherine Zeta-Jones waved the chequered flag. ‘Very happy, guys, well done.’

the و was و and - تفاصيل مهمة

He added: ‘After Abu Dhabi we will see where we end up. We have had some ups and downs and some beautiful moments, which is good for the years ahead.’

Russell’s third place was another success in a fine season from him, but his Mercedes is not equipped for title potential.

It was, in truth, a dull race, one of the worst of the year, for all the hoopla and the bright lights – a shame because Sin City’s previous two editions were full of sparkle.

Kimi Antonelli, having something of a revival in a searching first season for Mercedes, would have finished fourth, a place ahead of Piastri, but he was handed a five-second penalty for jumping the start.

His anticipatory move was not discernible, or barely so, to the naked eye. He came in fifth once his subtraction was imposed.

a و the و of - تفاصيل مهمة

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished sixth, with Lewis Hamilton only 10th in the other red car, though that was some redemption after he qualified in last place. He navigated the start smoothly as Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto drove into Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, but scoring a single point was not anything to write home about.

Mickey Mouse did a turn at the podium extravaganza, David Coulthard admonished Norris for swearing. ‘You can’t say that,’ he told Norris. The championship leader was chipper.

He could afford to be, probably, being closer to accomplishing his dream even as Verstappen won.