Lando Norris, in his quest for his maiden world championship, is chasing down three-time reigning champion Max Verstappen. The task is daunting and gets more difficult by the day, but all things considered, Norris can stand tall come the end of the season, at least on paper.
Currently, Norris is 47 points behind thanks to his P2 finish in Mexico City. Starting from third on the grid, Verstappen made Norris’ life difficult, pushing him off the track and also trying to gain an advantage on him by overtaking him outside the track limits.
Four races to go. 47 points in it. #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/OacCs1RDFs
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2024
However, there was no major controversy as the stewards penalized the Dutchman, handing him a 20-second time penalty. This effectively ended Verstappen’s chances of getting on the podium, as he finished P6, scoring 10 points less than Norris.
It was a positive weekend for the Briton, but looking at the larger picture, it might be a little too late for the McLaren driver. While he theoretically can finish ahead of Verstappen, he needs to gain around 12 points per race to win his first world championship.
McLaren does have the faster car, and with two sprint races still remaining, Norris will have the opportunity to grab some extra points in the coming weeks. But it won’t be easy because all the race wins the #4 driver has dropped in the past few months won’t come easy now with increased competition at the front.
Norris has others to worry about
While outperforming Verstappen — by around 12 points — in the last four Grand Prix weekends should be Norris’ primary objective, he cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that Ferrari could spoil his and McLaren’s title ambitions.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have won the last two races, and will surely be one of the favorites heading into the Brazilian GP next weekend. In case, Norris gets outshined by the Maranello-based outfit’s drivers, his best hope to secure the title would be to count on Verstappen to finish even further down — barely score points, if any at all.
But performances like Mexico City would have been a huge boost for Norris. If McLaren and the Bristol-born driver can make that one extra push and start winning races again, the championship could be Norris’ by the end of the season.
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