Max Verstappen started 2024 strong, winning seven of the first ten races. However, Red Bull’s performance took a drastic hit, and suddenly, the once-invincible Dutchman was no longer untouchable.
Lando Norris, in his ever-improving McLaren—arguably the strongest car on the grid—rose to the challenge and mounted a title charge. He won races and pushed Verstappen to close the gap the Red Bull driver had built early in the season.
Still, the Red Bull star managed to mathematically seal his fourth title at the Las Vegas GP with two races to spare.
Norris, however, never felt that he lost the title in Sin City. Yes, Verstappen may have celebrated a historic and hard-fought championship win that night, but for Norris, the title had slipped away much earlier.
“I didn’t lose the championship in Vegas,” he said on the F1 Chequered Flag podcast (from an interview after the race in Vegas). “I lost it in Brazil and really at the beginning of the season. That’s where the tables had already turned“.
Verstappen’s dominant start gave him a significant head start over other contenders in the standings. The gap was too large for Norris—or anyone else on the grid—to overcome easily. Still, Norris gave himself a shot at the title, and the Sao Paulo GP in Brazil was likely his best chance to close in.
Just 47 points behind Verstappen, everything seemed to be going Norris’ way that weekend. He secured pole position, while Verstappen had to start from P17. But what unfolded in the race will be remembered for years to come.
In one of the greatest wet-weather drives ever, Verstappen effortlessly climbed from P17 to P1, tightening his grip on the championship, which he all but sealed the following weekend.
Lando Norris on Max Verstappen’s performance in Brazil pic.twitter.com/aFvEuLxhli
— Autosport (@autosport) December 14, 2024
Norris was proud of how he went toe-to-toe with a driver as dominant as Verstappen in his first season as a true contender. It was a breakthrough year—one he aims to build on in 2025. However, the loss in Brazil still stung the Brit.
What happened in Brazil
Although Verstappen had built a healthy lead over his rivals in the first half of the 2024 season, there was still a glimmer of hope that Norris could fight back. The MCL38 was significantly stronger than the Dutchman’s RB20, which struggled immensely with balance issues.
All that hope ended in Brazil. Norris had a dream start to the weekend but Verstappen was driving on another level.
Max Verstappen gained 15 points on Lando Norris in Brazil, one race weekend.
Lando Norris gained 15 points on Max Verstappen over the past 4 race weekends before Brazil combined.
Just like that, Verstappen wiped out any indents while starting 17th too. pic.twitter.com/Ux955rrLuE
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 6, 2024
Norris managed to finish only sixth, with almost everyone on track struggling for grip in the treacherously wet conditions of Interlagos—everyone except Verstappen, who looked like he was driving in a video game. He coasted to victory, finishing 19 seconds ahead of second-placed Esteban Ocon.
“The result on Sunday hit me hard because it was the realization of it (the championship battle) pretty much being over after a reason in which we put up a pretty good fight,” he added on the podcast.
However, with McLaren seemingly having the best package after pre-season testing, Norris has a brilliant chance to make things right. And judging by his comments ahead of the season—where he admitted to feeling confident for the first time about fighting for the championship—2025 could very well be his year.
