Williams driver Carlos Sainz expects friend and former McLaren teammate Lando Norris to hold an advantage over his Formula 1 rivals at this weekend’s championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris enters the Yas Marina finale leading a tense three-way title fight, 12 points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with teammate Oscar Piastri a further four points behind.

“I think Abu Dhabi is a Lando track,” Sainz said Thursday. Having shared two seasons at McLaren with Norris and previously been teammates with Verstappen at Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Sainz is familiar with both rivals.

“It’s good for him that the finale is in Abu Dhabi, which from my experience being his teammate here is one of his best tracks. And the win he took last year in front of me still hurts,” added the 31-year-old Spaniard, who finished second to Norris during his final season at Ferrari.

To claim the title, Norris needs a top-three finish regardless of his rivals’ results, with the Abu Dhabi race offering a maximum of 25 points. However, last weekend in Qatar demonstrated the challenge: a McLaren strategy error saw Norris finish fourth despite title contention.

“Going into the last weekend having to finish on the podium is never easy, even in a McLaren, and he needs to execute a perfect weekend,” Sainz said. “But given how well he has responded under pressure recently, I think he can do it.”