Lando Norris was never really in the race to become the Formula One champion driver of 2024. His season started poorly and while his rival won in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Norris could only manage a P8 and P6 leaving him already 38 points adrift of the Red Bull driver.

Only a mechanical failure saved Norris from falling further behind the world champion next time out in Australia where bake issues saw Verstappen lose his pole position to Carlos Sainz on lap two. As the problem grew Max was forced to retire his RB20 with Norris going on to claim his first podium of the season.

The McLaren driver lost ground to Verstappen as he won the next two Grand Prix in Japan and China before Lando returned the favour claiming his maiden F1 victory in Miami. Three wins at the next four events saw the world champion establish a lead in the championship he would never relinquish and his tally of seven wins in the first ten races was to prove decisive.

 

 

 

Norris avoids championship talk

The self deprecating Norris refused to entertain the idea of him challenging for the drivers’ title until a pivotal moment at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Having qualified on pole one place ahead of his team mate, Norris lost the lead of the race to his team mate during the opening lap.

At the pit stops, McLaren choose to stop Lando first which resulted in him coming out ahead of his team mate when the Australian finally stopped for fresh rubber too. The team instructed Lando to give the place back, something he disputed for nigh on twenty laps before finally conceding to his team mate with just two laps remaining.

A lengthy exchange continued over Lando’s overuse of the tyres for ten laps or so as the team tried to re-establish their control over their rogue driver. Norris appeared bored with the conversation then on lap 55 came the call from Will Joesph, Lando’s race engineer.

Will Joseph: “We need you to save your tyres please and we do want to let Oscar through.”

Lando Norris: “Well you should have boxed him first then surely no?”.

Will Joseph: “Doesn’t matter.”

Lando Norris: “I mean, it does, to me maybe.”

Insider: Ferrari plan for Hamilton is “madness”

 

 

 

Hungary debacle for McLaren

Norris continued the exchange baiting his engineer and suggesting the team had made a strategic error at the pit stops.

Will Joseph: “Ok Lando, 10 laps to go. We think both cars are using their tyres too much. Just remember every single Sunday morning meeting we have.”

Lando Norris: “Yep, ok, tell him to catch up then please.”

At this point the team concede the persistent tyre talk is merely a smoke screen.

Will Joseph: “Ok Lando he can’t catch you. You’ve proved your point.”

Lando Norris: “He’s on much quicker tyres. I mean I would have tried to undercut anyway,” said Norris with the hint of a smirk inside the helmet.

Will Joseph: “Mate, we did the pit stop sequence in this order for the good of the team. I’m trying to protect you mate, I promise I’m trying to protect you.”

Why Checo turned down his F1 farewell

 

 

 

The heat turned up between Norris and Verstappen

With just three laps remaining Joseph points out to Lando the introduction of a safety car would end their chances of swapping the positions. Lando finally moves out of the way of his team mate telling his engineer, “Its ok. I dont’ want you to say anything.”

In the space of twenty laps McLaren had proven they were not match fit for chasing a drivers’ championship, where a team at times must favour one of their competitors over the other for the good of the title race. In mitigation of their position, this was to be Oscar Piastri’s maiden F1 victory, which may well have affected the team from an emotional perspective.

Some late season shenanigans saw McLaren switch their drivers for a minor points advantage to Lando, but he late reversed this giving the Aussie the Sprint win in Qatar having lost all hopes of a title challenge.

Lando had a number of run ins with Verstappen during the year, the first biggie being at the Austrian Grand Prix. After battling for the lead for most of the race, Norris felt Max was blocking him at the infamous turn three.

Max accuses the FIA again over punishment

 

 

 

Max baits Lando

Late in the race, the McLaren driver attempted to runaround the outside of Verstappen at the top of the hill, only to be hit by the Red Bull driver which ended his race while Verstappen came home in sixth place.

On track duels in Austin Texas and Mexico City saw both drivers sanctioned by the stewards for transgressions in their driving. All this while there was some hope of Lando catching Max. Yet it was when the championship had almost slipped away, where Norris appeared to engage in a war of words with his Red Bull rival.

Verstappen in Las Vegas quipped he’d have won the 2024 drivers’ title a lot earlier had he been driving Lando’s car. “He should start doing comedy or something,” Norris quipped when asked about Verstappen’s assertion. “He can say whatever he wants, but it’s just not true.”

Max was determined to have the final word on the matter, “We don’t need to talk about [whether Norris lost gracefully],” Verstappen added. “I’ve done what I came here to do.”

F1 champ says Hamilton “very very worried” about Ferrari

 

 

 

Rosberg tells Norris mental requirements to win WDC

With McLaren claiming the constructors’ championship at the last race of the year, a delighted Norris came over team radio with a warning for next season. “Next year is going to be my year too,” he said and with his team mate a whopping 82 points behind Lando, McLaren must start him as favourite for their challenge next year.

Nico Rosberg argues on this weeks Sky F1 podcast that Norris must change the way he thinks if he’s going to claim F1 titles. The 2016 world champion observed: “In Abu Dhabi on the cooldown lap he said in the car, ‘next year is my year’ – that’s something that I would actually recommend him not to do.

“It’s just an unnecessary pressure expectation dynamic that you kick-off. If you want, do it internally, whatever, but not externally.

“That was one of the keys to me winning my world championship, and especially for someone like Lando, who is, I would say, not the very, very strongest, most settled mentally – I was that profile, a lot of inner demons and doubts, and always glass [half] empty, rather than glass [half] full – and therefore, for him, I really highly recommend that he would take it race by race.”

Chandhok incensed by Verstappen comments

 

 

 

Verstappen deployed this mentality successfully this season, taking it race by race even during the dark days of his run of a ten race winless streak. In Monaco when he finished just sixth, Max shrugged and claimed it was the best he cold do with the car.

Expectations for next year are that the front four teams may be closer in terms of performance yet. Should this be the case, the winning driver will extract the most from each weekend they can, but when their car is dominant ensure they capitalise by winning the races.

McLaren and Norris have a lot to prove they are capable of negotiating the drivers’ F1 title which is more difficult than having both sides of the garage focusing only on the team’s fortunes.

The African GP deception

 

 

 

Chandhok incensed at Verstappen comments

Much has been made of the latest epic F1 duelling pair of drivers which have filled our screens across the 2024 Formula One season. Some believe Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are set to give us an era where the fierce on track battles resemble that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Despite Verstappen winning four of the first six races, the signs were already there that McLaren had a fast car. Having won his maiden F1 race of his career in Miami, next time out Lando Norris was to experience a Max ‘wonder lap’ in Emilia-Romagne qualifying which saw him start the race in second place.

The world champion made a good start to the Grand Prix taking the lead at the first corner and on a track which is questionable suitable for the huge modern F1 cars, Max retained his lead throughout the race. That said a rampant Norris over the closing 15 laps slashed the 6 second lead to finish just 0.75s behind the winning Red Bull driver… READ MORE