Lando Norris has pushed Max Verstappen to the limit in 2024. Although the Dutchman has prevailed in more races, Norris has done a commendable job in keeping up with him and closing the gap at the top of the Championship Standings to 81 points. Keeping this in mind, ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner feels Norris can end Verstappen’s reign of dominance in the sport.
“Lando’s getting closer,” said Steiner on The Red Flags podcast.
After winning his first-ever F1 race in Miami earlier this year, Norris made it clear that he was coming for the Title. With McLaren’s MCL38, arguably the fastest car on the grid currently, Norris is showing that those weren’t just empty words.
The Bristol-born driver declared himself a bonafide Championship contender at the 2024 Austrian GP. His tussle with Verstappen for the lead ended in a crash which took him out of the race, but he showed Verstappen that he would be right on his tail in the coming outings too.
It’s a 10 10-second penalty for Max Verstappen for causing a collision with Lando Norris! ⏱⚠ pic.twitter.com/zf0eHYl5mY
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 30, 2024
Steiner also agrees to the fact that Verstappen knows he won’t have it easy for the rest of the year, which is why resorted to his aggressive defensive maneuvers over Norris in Austria. “It’s not only Lando,” he said. “Also [Oscar] Piastri can take some points away from Max, you know.”
Per Steiner, Verstappen has to dig deeper than usual if he wants to retain his crown this season.
Steiner gives his verdict on the Verstappen-Norris collision
The lap 64 incident at the Austrian GP between Verstappen and Norris has been a topic of hot debate in the buildup to the British GP this weekend. The stewards deemed Verstappen to be “predominantly” at fault. However, Steiner feels otherwise.
When asked about his take on the incident, he placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of both drivers.
“They are both at fault, but they are racing. They went a little bit too far. But none of them gave up, you know,” insists Steiner.
“He’s not going to change” ❌
Christian Horner has warned Lando Norris to expect the same ‘tough’ racing from Max Verstappen ahead of the British Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/ECdEWKSvyS
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 2, 2024
In the aftermath of the incident, questions were raised about the fate of the duo’s friendship. However, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has claimed that the two have spoken to each other and the hatchet has been buried.
