Despite Tough Fight From Lando Norris, Flavio Briatore Never Felt Max Verstappen’s Title Was in Danger

Lando Norris of McLaren and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing after qualifying ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit

Max Verstappen had the perfect start to the 2024 season as he won seven of the first 10 races and at that point, it looked like a fourth title was already in the bag. But since the Monaco GP, the RB20’s weaknesses started showing. Rivals like McLaren and Ferrari caught up, and suddenly Verstappen’s dominance was in question.

But the Dutchman persevered and wrapped his fourth title up at the Las Vegas GP — winning only two of the next 14 rounds. By his own admission, this championship was the #1 driver’s hardest-fought win. But despite Lando Norris’ stellar efforts, Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore was never in doubt about the fate of the title fight.

He told Formule1.nl, “Max Verstappen becoming champion, I knew that and I saw that. Why? That’s very simple. Because Max Verstappen is the best. And then you also become champion in difficult years. It may not have been easy with the Red Bull car this year, but the quality of the driver is decisive. You see that with Verstappen.” 

Briatore, who has his own fair share of knowledge regarding multiple-time world champions, has in fact hit the nail on the head with respect to his assessment of Verstappen’s year. Ever since the Miami GP, Red Bull had slipped down the pecking order.

And Verstappen was seemingly struggling to tame his own car. However, he dug deep into his resolve and managed to extract the maximum from the car every race weekend. Eventually, he racked in enough points to edge Norris out.

Verstappen and Norris’ rivalry defined the 2024 season

As Verstappen’s struggles became more obvious, Norris kept on knocking at the door. Their rivalry gave some of the most dramatic moments of this past season, including their clash at the Austrian GP.

More often than not, their rivalry spilled off the track as well. The Mexico City GP and US GP were prime examples when both the drivers went over the limits in a bid to outdo the other.

And while Norris did not come out of the season as a champion, he still had something to cheer for. After a stellar year of the MCL38 leading the pack, Norris’ win at the season finale in Abu Dhabi sealed the Woking-based team’s first Constructors’ title since 1998.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Flavio Briatore Lando Norris Max Verstappen

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these