Lando Norris is running out of time in the Formula 1 title fight. And world champion Max Verstappen simply doesn’t allow himself to make any mistakes. About a chase that is becoming a slog.
Lando Norris found the question about his strategy in the World Championship duel against the indestructible world champion Max Verstappen rather silly. What can the Englishman with his nervous system do when he is still 52 points behind the leader from the Netherlands before the final six Grand Prix and three sprints?
“I try to score as many points as possible every weekend. That includes the fastest lap and things like that. But if Max continues to finish second and Red Bull continues like they did this weekend, then there’s nothing I can do,” said Norris with a hint of fatalism after his show of power in Singapore.
Verstappen as maximizer and minimizer
His problem? He may be sitting in the fastest car in the field, but demonstrations of power in the McLaren with a lead of more than 20 seconds at the end don’t bring any extra points. That’s probably not enough against a recalcitrant Verstappen, who can even get into arguments outside the cockpit with the world governing body because of his loose tongue.
“Max Verstappen had one of those days in Singapore that can either bring you the title or give the competition a boost,” said Mundo Deportivo in Spain. “The Dutchman was able to maximize his result and minimize his losses on a track that doesn’t suit his car at all.”
A missed point that could hurt
Norris was only able to make up seven points on Verstappen in Singapore and was lucky that he didn’t crash after three lapses in concentration. The greatly simplified title calculation to the disadvantage of the three-time Grand Prix winner now looks like this: If Verstappen finishes second behind a possible long-term winner Norris until the end of the year, he would still be one point ahead after the season finale in Abu Dhabi and thus once again world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bull Norris thwarted this one point by snatching the fastest lap of the race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit in the final phase.
Rosberg has high hopes for Norris
But could Norris really win all the races until Abu Dhabi? “That will scare Red Bull, because with this pace until the end of the year it is really realistic that Lando can win all the races,” said Sky expert and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, “and it is so difficult for Max to come second.”
Red Bull has at least promised upgrades for the next Grand Prix on October 20 in Austin (USA). This is intended to stop the decline in performance of Verstappen’s company car. Everything could “change quickly again,” said the Dutchman. “We just have to work hard.”
Norris: “I have one of the toughest competitors”
Norris and McLaren do the same. However, the Brit’s negligence during the races has raised serious doubts as to whether he will make another serious mistake in the next stages that could ultimately cost him the World Championship. “If he wants to become world champion, he has to get rid of that,” said Rosberg.
But Norris is also fighting against a racing team and a driver who have a very special World Championship self-confidence. “It’s against Red Bull and Max, the most dominant pairing that Formula 1 has ever seen from last year,” Norris admitted. “It’s still the same team and the same driver. So I have one of the toughest competitors that Formula 1 has ever seen.”
And what do you do in a case like that? “I’m doing my best,” assured Norris, “I’m working my ass off.” The question is whether that’s enough to beat Verstappen.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
