Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are locked in a battle for the 2024 F1 drivers’ championship. However, with a 52-point deficit and just six races to go, even if Norris wins all the races from here on with the extra point for the fastest lap, it still wouldn’t be enough for him to beat Verstappen, if the Dutchman finishes P2 every time.
This might suggest that Red Bull and Verstappen are in a comfortable position. However, former McLaren driver Jenson Button thinks that Verstappen is still under a lot of pressure, and in a recent appearance on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Button explained why that is the case with the Dutchman.
He said, “You know, Max is a tough cookie… But this is a tricky situation, you know. It’s already got into his head, from what I hear is that he’s not going to win another race this year.”
“So it’s basically just he’s in a position where he’s just going to come home and bring points. But sometimes when you’ve put that pressure on yourself, it’s it’s even harder to get a podium.”, Button added.
Jenson Button backs Lando Norris to overhaul Max Verstappen in F1 title race https://t.co/8ZeEatOtUJ pic.twitter.com/DqGN8A1sMm
— Indy Sport (@IndySport) October 15, 2024
Verstappen has been downplaying the possibility of him winning any more races in 2024. The Dutchman has been winless for eight races with his last victory coming in Barcelona. Since then, he has been maximizing his points at every race while grappling with the worsening state of the RB20.
While it seems extremely unlikely that Norris will be able to close down the gap to Verstappen, Button thinks that Briton could still realistically win the championship. That is because there are more teams than just McLaren and Red Bull that are fighting for wins in 2024.
Mercedes and Ferrari to play a crucial role in deciding the title
After a couple of years of unmatched Red Bull dominance in F1, the 2024 season has finally brought more teams toward the front of the grid. Mercedes and Ferrari have also challenged for wins whenever their car is in the right window on a given track.
According to Button, that’s the biggest challenge for Verstappen as he may not always be able to come home in second in the remaining races. With Red Bull admitting that they might not have a quick fix to resolve the issues of the RB20, Mercedes and Ferrari could be threatening to take points away from Verstappen in the remaining races.
However, the same applies to McLaren because the other two teams can take points away from Norris as well if they were to win a couple of races from now to the end of the season, inadvertently helping Verstappen preserve his championship lead.
