Lando Norris Must Iron Out Mistakes To Compete With Max Verstappen

Lando Norris won the 2024 Singapore GP quite dominantly, finishing over 20 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in P2. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the McLaren driver, as he made a couple of significant mistakes while under no pressure. After the race, Nico Rosberg advised Norris to eliminate those errors if he hopes to compete for the Drivers’ Championship.

“We know from Lando that he tends to make those little errors,” said Rosberg on the Sky Sports F1 podcast. “We’ve seen that from him and he needs to iron that out if he wants to fight for the championship this season.” 

Norris’ first incident came on lap 29 when he gave the barriers a nudge, as he braked late. He was lucky to escape without a crash, and then toward the end of the race, he made the mistake of tapping the same wall that took George Russell out in 2023. A few centimeters on either side on both occasions and Norris’ evening in Singapore would have turned into a disaster.

Rosberg felt that Norris’ mistakes were very strange. He explained that it was unusual for a driver to have them while leading so comfortably. The 2016 World Champion gave examples of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and himself, detailing how champions never make mistakes while leading.

Norris, however, would only want to focus on the positives. He took the pole position on the weekend, led from the first lap onwards, and stood on the top step of the podium. It silenced all critics who questioned Norris’ ability to convert poles into wins.

On the other hand, in terms of the Drivers’ Championships, things did not get too much better for Norris.

Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest lap makes Norris’ life difficult 

Norris is currently 52 points behind Verstappen in the Championship standings, a gap that could have been just 51 had Daniel Ricciardo not snatched the fastest lap from the Bristol-born driver. Red Bull boxed Ricciardo in to fit soft tires during the closing stages, leading to speculation that it was Red Bull’s strategy to ensure Verstappen gained an advantage.

With the lead Verstappen has and only six races remaining, even if Norris wins all his races while Verstappen finishes P2 in each, the Dutchman would still retain his World Championship title.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella expressed his displeasure over Red Bull taking the fastest point away from Norris. He criticized how Red Bull seemingly controlled its sister team on track, claiming it provided them with an unprecedented and unfair advantage.