Red Bull is not the dominant force it once was, and McLaren arguably has the fastest car in F1 at the moment. Still, Max Verstappen has a comfortable lead over Lando Norris in the Championship standings, and Eddie Jordan isn’t surprised.
It is safe to assume that Verstappen has been struggling this season. He hasn’t won a race in the last five outings, still, the gap to Norris remains intact. Jordan recalls the Belgian GP, and said on the Formula for Success podcast, “Max took a couple of points or three points from them again at the weekend (Belgian GP). So it’s another race notched off the counter, 10 to go, and there’s a gap of 78.”
The former F1 team boss further insists that Norris cannot beat Verstappen. “78 points over a 10-race period, he’s (Norris) got to beat him by at least 7 points each race. Can you see that happening? Actually, I can’t!”
“The biggest protagonist is Lando #Norris”
EJ insists no one will catch Max #Verstappen this season
Listen to #FFS! nowhttps://t.co/NpaTmQc5sq pic.twitter.com/TL8DbDGMWj
— Formula For Success (@F1ForSuccess) August 2, 2024
Norris has to do what Jordan deems is unlikely. Or, Verstappen needs to have DNFs in races Norris wins.
Considering how many mistakes Norris has been making, it looks like an unlikely scenario, which is why Jordan is putting his money on Verstappen to win his fourth World Championship.
At the same time, Verstappen isn’t in a comfortable place at all. He is struggling to even get into the top three, and if Red Bull doesn’t improve its performance in the remaining 10 races, McLaren will be ready to pounce.
Red Bull loses grasp on championship-winning dominance
In 2023, Verstappen won 19 out of 22 races, guiding Red Bull to the Constructors’ easily, winning his fourth Drivers’ Title in the process.
This season, however, things have changed. Red Bull ended July win-less, and stood on the podium only once in the last four Grand Prix. For the Milton-Keynes-based team, this is concerning.
Jordan doesn’t think Norris can outperform Verstappen, but that doesn’t mean that Red Bull can’t get worse. If McLaren improves its cars further and Red Bull continues to fall short with its upgrades, Norris can catch the Dutch driver.
In the long term, things look even more grim. He may be safe now, and all the odds are in his favor to retain the Championship. But, come 2025, McLaren could make bigger strides and become the outright fastest team.
