Lando Norris provided a distinct tackle Max Verstappen’s 2024 title victory as Formulation 1 rocked up in Qatar: that Sergio Perez’s poor performances have truly made issues tougher for the Dutchman.
Verstappen made headlines for saying after final weekend’s title-clinching race in Las Vegas that he would have secured his fourth successive world title “even earlier” had he been driving a McLaren or Ferrari, round Purple Bull’s RB20 going off the boil after beginning the 12 months as clearly F1’s finest automobile.
However whereas Verstappen’s 4 wins from the opening six races meant he had a 53-point lead over Norris by the point McLaren acquired on high of its MCL38 challenger, one ingredient that appeared to work significantly in Verstappen’s favour after the pecking order at F1’s head converged is how he had no opposition from inside Purple Bull.
For Norris at McLaren and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, each of Verstappen’s closest two challengers within the 2024 title battle have misplaced important factors due to their respective intense challenges from team-mates Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz.
Norris misplaced the lead in Hungary with Piastri’s first nook assault earlier than that race exploded with McLaren’s crew orders farrago, whereas the pair’s lap one battle at Monza opened the door for eventual winner there, Leclerc, who himself has endured 5 situations (Bahrain, China, Spain, Austin and Las Vegas) the place Sainz has fought him savagely.
However when Autosport/Motorsport.com pointed this out to Norris within the Qatar GP paddock forward of this weekend’s penultimate occasion of the 2024 season, the Briton highlighted as an alternative how this might truly work in opposition to Verstappen.
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing RB20
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
“I imply, there’s professionals and cons,” he replied. “There’s professionals in that he has to do all of his work on his personal, which is hats off to him.
“He does not have somebody who’s pushing him, he does not have somebody making an attempt different issues with the automobile – you’ll be able to’t do A-B checks and issues like that as a result of the info isn’t as priceless when you do not have somebody who’s performing on the identical stage.
“There’s quite a lot of issues that Max can do which might be phenomenal – driving on the stage he does persistently with no team-mate that may push him in any method, [it] definitely makes his life tougher from that perspective. Additionally from a crew perspective.
“However, on the identical time, yeah, there is not any strain. He does not need to beat anybody in his personal crew and that comes with some consolation.
“However they go collectively. Typically and in some methods, I like having a little bit of strain as a result of it makes me do a barely higher job.”
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However, given how the impression of intra-team battling at McLaren and Ferrari can’t be denied inside the story of Verstappen’s profitable 2024 title hunt, Norris intriguingly added that “I hope sooner or later he has one that may problem him a bit extra”.
As Leclerc did earlier on Thursday on the Losail circuit, Norris additionally rebuffed Verstappen’s suggestion about doing higher with both an MCL38 or SF-24 relatively than an RB20 in 2024 – albeit with a big dollop of excellent humour.
“He ought to begin doing comedy or one thing,” Norris joked when Autosport/Motorsport.com put Verstappen’s phrases to him.
“He can say no matter he needs. After all, I utterly disagree, as I’d. He is good, however… It is not true.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formulation 1
Max Verstappen
Purple Bull Racing
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