ANPLando Norris
NOS Sport•vandaag, 06:00
The championship is “no longer realistic”, the car “uncontrollable” and the results at a certain point even “appallingly weak”.
What started with a dominant Max Verstappen who seemed to be heading for a fourth consecutive world title in his Red Bull, has turned into an unexpected title fight with McLaren driver Lando Norris in recent months.
Verstappen has not missed a moment in recent months to express his powerlessness and dissatisfaction. The leader in the World Cup rankings saw his lead over his British competitor gradually shrink. What does Verstappen need to become world champion again?
Six grands prix to go
The drivers will complete six more Grands Prix (GPs) this season: in Texas (October 20), Mexico City (October 27), São Paulo (November 3), Las Vegas (November 24), Doha (December 1) and Abu Dhabi (December 8). A sprint race is also on the program in Texas, São Paulo and Doha.
Winning a GP earns 25 points. A win in a sprint race is good for 8 points. The person who records the fastest lap time during a GP earns an extra point, provided that he or she finishes in the top ten. This means that a driver can win a maximum of 180 points this season.
In the World Cup standings, list leader Verstappen (331 points) currently defends a 52-point lead over number two Norris, who has collected 279 points in the first eighteen races of the season.
- NOS Standings Formula 1 after Singapore Grand Prix
- NOS
- NOSPuntentelling sprintrace
That lead has been a maximum of 84 points. That was at the beginning of July after the British Grand Prix, which was won by Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen then finished second, ahead of number three Norris.
Successful update
Relations were already changing then. Seven races earlier, a successful update around the Miami GP had ensured that McLaren suddenly had a much better car. In Miami, Norris won a grand prix for the first time in his career.
Since that weekend, the 24-year-old Briton has been doing better and better, while Verstappen’s Red Bull started to show more and more flaws in the same period. In this way, Norris kept chipping away at what initially looked like a generous lead.
GettyLando Norris
If Norris wins every remaining race (six grands prix and three sprint races) and he also records the fastest lap time in all those GPs, he will have 459 points after the last race.
If Verstappen crosses the finish line second in every race, the Limburger will finish on 460 points – one point more than Norris. For a fourth world title, it is enough to finish second in every upcoming race.
And there is hope: since Miami there have been twelve grands prix and in six of them Verstappen finished in the top two.
AFPMax Verstappen straightens his helmet on the circuit in Azerbaijan
The role of teammates can become important. Because if Norris continues to do well and teammate Oscar Piastri – who drives the same car – manages to finish ahead of Verstappen, Verstappen will miss out on crucial points.
It is interesting to mention that the McLaren management begged Norris during the Hungarian GP to let Piastri win. Norris was in the lead and allowed this at the last moment.
As a result, Norris finished second and did not get the maximum number of points. A tactical choice by the McLaren team management that may cost them dearly at the end of the season – and that is to Verstappen’s advantage.
Course type
The type of course may also play a role. Street circuits with many bumps and slow corners often caused problems for Red Bull. But in recent months the shape of the weekend seems to be increasingly decisive.
For example, Verstappen unexpectedly finished second in Singapore, a street circuit. McLaren had a difficult time assessing the Monza circuit, but Piastri (second) and Norris (third) did better than expected. Good news for Verstappen: there are no more street circuits on the program.
New updates
It is expected that both teams have used the recent race-free weeks to develop new updates, and it remains to be seen what effect they will have. These can be important, for example, when it comes to recording the fastest lap time, which therefore yields one extra point.
F1 live at NOS
Formula 1 continues this weekend in Texas, where in addition to the grand prix, a sprint race will also be held. The sprint race starts on Saturday at 8 p.m. Dutch time, and the main race starts on Sunday at 9 p.m. Dutch time.
The race weekend can be followed via a live blog on NOS.nl and in the NOS app and via flash in NOS Along the Line on NPO Radio 1. The radio broadcast starts at 10 p.m. A summary can be viewed afterwards NOS Studio Sportwhich can be followed on NPO 1 from 11:15 p.m.
Seen in that light, the last F1 race of Daniel Ricciardo’s career can be important. The experienced Australian knew during the Singapore Grand Prix that he would soon be pushed aside by RB.
In his last race for the sister team of Red Bull Racing, the former teammate of Verstappen and Norris finished with the fastest lap. As a result, Norris missed out on a point, after which Ricciardo joked: “If Max becomes world champion by one point, I have just assured myself of a nice Christmas present.”
