In Sao Paulo, Lando Norris not only faced a heartbreaking loss in a year-defining race but also received heavy criticism from fans after a comment that was not seen as good sportsmanship.
After a race headlined by the treacherously wet conditions, Norris, who finished P6, acknowledged the gamble made by Red Bull for not changing tires when it was risky to continue in the first set of inters.
On the other hand, Norris did the opposite. Ultimately, it helped Max Verstappen register his eighth win of the season.
Norris spilling out, “It’s not talent or, you know, it’s just luck,” made him a victim of the fans’ wrath, who were admiring Verstappen’s exceptional performance. The Red Bull driver won despite starting from P17 on the grid.
Liked by Lando Norris pic.twitter.com/Ar6aK6L6U9
— alo ️ (@pinkyringlando) November 3, 2024
However, Alex Brundle, the F1 Presenter and a former race driver came into Norris‘ defense by empathizing with his emotions. He felt the absence of such emotions would make the sport ‘bland’.
“Heavy criticism of world-class sports people for being a bit ‘spikey/annoyed’ after a career/year-defining-loss is a ticket to a bland sporting spectacle in my potentially unpopular opinion,” he said.
Overall, Norris’s race was one to forget. He once again squandered the advantage of starting from pole, a point for which he has faced significant criticism from fans throughout the year, ultimately finishing the race in P6.
The 19-point boost received by Verstappen was the last thing Norris would have wanted. The Red Bull star’s proficiency to drive in rain and that too in Brazil now brought Norris to the brink of championship defeat by a friend turned foe.
Verstappen as champion is inevitable
As things stand, Verstappen needs to achieve only a better result than Norris in Las Vegas to become a four-time World Champion. This would be a relief for the entire Red Bull camp, which has appeared vulnerable this year for the first time since 2022.
Winning the Constructors’ Championship already looked like a lost cause heading into Brazil. But considering Verstappen lost a 10-point advantage in Mexico City two weeks ago, things became concerning in the Drivers’ Championship too. Thankfully, Verstappen’s brilliance increased his gap to Norris from 45 to 62 points.
At the same time, when the possibility of sealing the title in Las Vegas was pointed out to Verstappen, it didn’t fancy him. Instead, all he asked for was clean races until the end of the season.
Verstappen’s title win would be recorded in the history books, marking the first time since 1983 that a driver has won a championship with a team that finished P3 in the standings (unless Red Bull overtakes Ferrari). The last instance of this occurred when Nelson Piquet—father of Verstappen’s girlfriend, Kelly Piquet—became the champion.
