Craig Slater Says Lando Norris Can Close the 69 Points Gap to Max Verstappen in the Upcoming Races

Aishwary Gaonkar | 25/06/2024
Craig Slater Says Lando Norris Can Close the 69 Points Gap to Max Verstappen in the Upcoming Races

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.”

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.

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.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Lando Norris Max Verstappen

About the author

Avatar photo

Aishwary Gaonkar

Aishwary Gaonkar is the F1 Editor at The SportsRush. Having written over 1500 articles about different aspects of the sport, Aishwary passionately likes to dive deep into the intricacies of the on-track events. He has been an avid F1 fan since the 2011 season, amid Sebastian Vettel's dominance. Besides the 4-time champion, he also likes Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Among the current drivers, he thinks Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri have championship-winning caliber. His favorite F1 moment is watching Vettel win the championship in 2012 at the Brazil finale. Longing for a Ferrari world championship, Aishwary is also a fan of Aston Martin's underdog story and their bid to win the F1 championship. Other than F1, he follows tennis and cricket too.

Don’t miss these