Max Verstappen’s clash with Lando Norris in Mexico has become a big point of discussion with their title fight intensifying. With the Dutchman not having a car worthy of fighting for wins, he is using every trick in the book to beat Norris. However, former Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez feels that Verstappen is feeling the pressure of the McLaren driver chasing him down.
On the F1 Nation podcast, Gutierrez gave his take on the three-time world champion’s aggressive racing style. He spoke about how Verstappen had always been this aggressive, never giving an inch to his opponents on the track.
But the way he was racing Norris in Mexico last Sunday, Gutierrez felt the heat of the title battle messed with the 27-year-old’s mind. He said,
“When you see him race like that, he seems to be a little bit under pressure, I think. He was a bit overaggressive on those moves [against Norris].”
Since his maiden title triumph in 2021—which saw lots of incidents with Lewis Hamilton—Verstappen has shown significant maturity. Still, he remains a hard racer who never lets anyone pass easily.
In the past two years, Verstappen hasn’t faced an opponent in a comparably competitive car like Hamilton in 2021. Although Norris hasn’t been the fiercest challenger in 2024, he has tested Verstappen’s limits in certain races.
The title rivals come together in Mexico
A recap of that battle between Lando and Max #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/bQaIaoCYOl
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2024
That is why, despite holding a 47-point lead in the championship, the three-time world champion is under pressure. He knows Norris can chase him down. The only issue has been the British driver’s tendency to not dominate races with the fastest car that he has had for the majority of the season.
Now, with Ferrari’s resurgence, Norris’ job of winning his maiden title has become more difficult. With only four Grand Prix weekends remaining, he needs to outscore Verstappen by around 12 points every weekend. If not, the Red Bull driver could eke out his fourth consecutive title. But it is going to rocky ride for the defending champion.
Verstappen’s difficulties could worsen in Brazil
After two consecutive controversial tussles in Austin and Mexico City, Verstappen and Norris will be entering the Sao Paolo GP weekend on a tense note. To make matters worse for Verstappen, he may also have to take a grid penalty for an engine change.
This new power unit could result in a five-place grid penalty for Verstappen. The reason it’s limited to five places is that Red Bull had already taken a new engine during the Belgian GP weekend, expanding Verstappen’s component pool for the season’s final stretch.
However, with the #1 driver experiencing engine issues at the high-altitude track in Mexico, he may have to take this new engine in Brazil. If so, he will already be starting the race on the back foot.
What could be a saving grace is that Sao Paolo is a sprint weekend, so the sprint race could help Verstappen extend his points advantage over Norris, as it did in Austin. As for the Grand Prix on Sunday, he may hope that the rain predictions come true to give him some aid in performance and avoid losing points to his title rival.
