Lando Norris is not giving up hopes of winning another race this season, after losing out to win the Spanish GP. The McLaren man has been agonizingly close to double his wins tally in three of the past five races including Barcelona. Sky Sports F1 presenter, Craig Slater has echoed the Briton’s sentiments and cited how he can close the 69-point advantage Max Verstappen has atop the championship standings.
Slater spoke in one of Sky Sports News’ YouTube videos, “I think with the races coming up in Austria, in Silverstone, there is every chance he can turn this little run fo second places into wins. And yes he believes in himself he can launch a championship bid this year.”
Aiming for the very top… Lando gave it his all in Barcelona #F1 #SpanishGP @LandoNorris pic.twitter.com/oCuzONOl3B
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 24, 2024
Now, Slater and Norris‘ optimism isn’t without evidence. McLaren had the fastest car on track in Barcelona, which is quite a representative track in terms of corner geometry for any kind of track on the F1 calendar. Red Bull was marginally quicker in certain areas but the MCL38 held its own with Norris also claiming pole on Saturday.
Norris is usually self-critical and conservative about his prospects of winning or being on the podium. However, Slater highlighted how there was a renewed sense of vigor and confidence in the #4 driver’s comments after coming second behind Verstappen by only 2.2 seconds.
Thus, Slater cited that if Norris is confident of winning races in the upcoming weekends, he certainly has the car to do so. It also points toward the self-belief the 24-year-old has gained after winning his maiden Grand Prix in Miami last month.
Regardless, Norris is yet to emulate his Miami heroics despite being in the position to win the race in Imola, Montreal, and now Barcelona.
How did Lando Norris not win the Spanish GP?
Lando Norris looked pretty confident about taking his second race win in Spain. However, his bad race start put him on the back foot and the #4 driver was chasing the lead till the end of the race. Despite starting on pole, Norris dropped to P3 on the opening lap, while George Russell and Max Verstappen battled for the opening honors to lead the race.
Still, with McLaren’s pace, Norris was able to claw his way back into the fight for the win. He knew how Verstappen’s car wasn’t the fastest and thus went on the attack against him in the final stint with fresher tires. However, it wasn’t to be for the Briton, as he ran out of laps before hassling the Dutchman who took his seventh win of the season.
Everybody: “Will it be Max or Lando leading into T1?”
George: #F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/Or6emjaMS7
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 23, 2024
Regardless, Verstappen reflected how they cannot rely on executing a good strategy and playing the defensive game every time. He highlighted how they did not have the fastest car and need to work on finding more pace on track.
Otherwise, as things stand, if Norris starts winning races, Verstappen could face a serious challenge from the McLaren man for the 2024 championship.
