After the Monaco GP this season, Charles Leclerc was in P2 and only 31 points off the championship lead. With him performing at such a high level, some hyped him up to be a title contender if Red Bull’s struggles worsened. While the Austrian outfit has fumbled on its form, instead of Leclerc, Lando Norris has emerged as the title contender due to McLaren’s resurgence getting the better of Ferrari.
Still, this battle between McLaren and Ferrari has ebbed and flowed well with the Italian outfit recovering from a miserable run of form lately. So much so, that Leclerc is now in the shout for taking P2 away from Norris in the drivers’ standings.
However, for that, the Monegasque driver will need to outscore the McLaren driver by 4.6 points every race weekend. F1 analyst Daniel Valente posted about the same on Twitter (now X), while dissecting the points gained by both Leclerc and Norris at each race weekend.
Since the summer break, the #4 driver has won two races [in Zandvoort and Singapore], which is where he gained a big chunk of points over Leclerc. However, at all other races [two of which Leclerc won in Monza and Austin], the Ferrari driver has outscored Norris.
The battle for P2 in the drivers’ standings means Charles Leclerc needs to outscore Lando Norris by 4.6 points per race weekend to finish ahead by 1 point.
He’s done that in 4 of the last 6 GPs (Spa, Monza, Baku, Austin). pic.twitter.com/UHI0RBAGrO
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) October 25, 2024
So, that has been a net points gain for him, bringing his gap with the Briton to only 22 points. One bad race for Norris and Leclerc could usurp second place away from him. The issue with Norris has been his inconsistency in winning races despite arguably having the fastest car since the Miami and Imola GP weekends.
That is why, the 24-year-old still finds himself 57 points off Max Verstappen in the standings. To rub salt to his wounds, if Leclerc keeps up on his current form, Norris could easily end up third in a season where he was a genuine title contender.
What can Norris do to overturn his fortunes?
While many claim on social media that Norris has been unlucky in several races, his inability to run away with races like Hungary, Italy, Silverstone, and Austin has allowed others like Leclerc to take points away from him. Norris has simply failed to capitalize on several opportunities when he has grabbed pole as he has been unable to hang on for the win.
Out of all the races Norris grabbed pole in, Singapore is the only race he has managed to win. That poor record has arguably cost him at least a few race wins this season.
Had he got better getaways and won those races, the Briton’s deficit to Verstappen in the championship could’ve been way less than it is currently. With only five races to go, Norris needs to win every remaining Grand Prix and sprint race to outscore Verstappen.
Even then, the #4 driver will have to hope for the Dutchman to have one or two bad outings that give him a big points swing. Still, having squandered several such opportunities earlier this season, Norris could end up short.
