Max Verstappen holds a commanding points lead in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship after 14 races, with the question being whether McLaren’s Lando Norris can catch him in second place over the remaining 10 rounds.
Norris won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami, but missed out on a second win in Hungary when he ceded the race lead to Oscar Piastri on team instructions.
It cost Norris eight points, which could be costly if the title race goes all the way. Norris also looked distracted and off his game in the next race in Belgium, finishing one place behind Verstappen’s Red Bull.
It is the first time in Norris’ F1 career that he has been seriously involved in the mid-season title race conversation, and with the spotlight comes immense pressure.
“I’m fighting for the world championship right now. What questions should I be asking myself?” Norris said in an exclusive interview. Racing News 365 It was published this week.
“I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t think I can answer that right now because I’m here. There’s a limit to what I can answer,” he guessed.
“Some of them can be prepared, but [not for] The emotion and the adrenaline and all that stuff that you can’t replicate. Just go, ‘Yeah, I’m going to think about it. I have to think about this. I have to do it.’
“It’s a situation I don’t know and I’ve never been in before, so it’s going to be very difficult,” he confessed when asked what it’s like to be competing so fiercely with his close friend Verstappen off the track.
That friendship was slightly strained when the pair clashed while vying for the race lead at the Austrian Grand Prix. It was a bummer at the time, but Norris says it won’t change their friendship or the way they race.
“I tried to overtake several times, but it didn’t go as planned,” he said of the Austrian crash. “We ended up crashing. It was all [I was] We were more or less generous simply because we played. Padel Two weeks ago.
“None of that has changed. People just like to talk about it and use it as a topic,” he said. “I like to spend time away from the paddock, enjoying the time. If Max or Carlos are playing golf or something, let them do it.”
The relationship between title contender and teammate has not always been so harmonious in the past, but Norris is not bothered by that. “I’m very happy for them because the previous champions were the opposite. They did their job, and I do mine.
“[Critics] They think they know the answer because they have looked back at history. [and conclude]”Oh, that didn’t work out for them,” he said. “As much as I respect the historical data, I don’t care. I am myself, and I am different.
“As long as I’m happy with myself and my life, that’s what matters,” he added. But he admitted he had to step away from F1 during the summer shutdown at Spa and get away from everything that had happened. “I think I just needed to reset,” he told the press.
Former F1 race winner, pundit and race manager Johnny Herbert believes Norris should not be too hard on himself in public when things don’t go his way, as he did with his poor starts in Hungary and Belgium.
“He’s under pressure, but as a GP winner he can now handle it,” the Briton said. “After Hungary, Landau probably felt it wasn’t the right decision. Then at Spa he got off to a bad start on the gravel.
“He had two races that were not good for him, but his teammate Oscar Piastri won one race and was on the podium. Lando is very honest, but I think it’s something he should keep to himself and not reveal to the world.
“I tried to correct my mistakes, but I won’t tell the world what I felt because other drivers will try to use it for their own gain.
“The rivalry with Oscar is beneficial for both of us. We can influence each other and push each other,” he said.
Red Bull Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko is quick to be critical when it comes to spotting a driver’s weaknesses, and he has a similar view on the relative strengths of the two McLaren drivers at this point in the season.
“Piastri seems mentally stronger,” the Austrian said. Sky Germany. “Oscar has gradually closed the gap with Lando, and at times he is even faster.”
Piastri currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings, but with a 110-point lead over championship leader Verstappen, he may be too far behind to mount a realistic title challenge in the remaining time.
Even in P2, Norris will have a hard time closing the 78-point gap in time unless Red Bull completely collapses. As things stand, Verstappen may not finish three races, with Norris needing the maximum points to level the standings.
