The 2024 title fight took an interesting turn during the Italian GP, last weekend. Max Verstappen still holds a comfortable lead over Lando Norris in the driver’s standings, however, the #4 driver is slowly yet steadily making inroads. That said, with only eight races remaining, Natalie Pinkham and Nico Rosberg have urged the 24-year-old to snap out of a negative spiral he finds himself in.
Norris‘ chances of winning at Monza were dealt a blow by his teammate, Oscar Piastri who snatched the lead from him on lap 1. The team did not deploy any team orders – and after the race Norris did take a self-critical stance.
He believes that he is not driving like a world champion yet; still making mistakes like losing out on the lead to his teammate.
Discussing the various factors that will allow Norris to dethrone Verstappen, Sky Sports F1 analysts, Pinkham and Rosberg urged the Briton to stop feeding into a self-destructing prophecy. On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Rosberg said, “You really start to believe what you say.”
LAP 1 / 53
PIASTRI TAKES THE LEAD!!
The Australian sweeps around Norris at the della Roggia chicane to lead the field!!
Leclerc also squeezes past into second, sparking jubilation in the stands! #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/ViptiU4v5v
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2024
Pinkham also explained, “He’s publicly quite self-critical. It’s great to be open and transparent. But on the other hand, I feel that – it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like you say you’re weak and you make mistakes then you are weak and will make mistakes.”
Norris’ biggest concern this season has been his race starts. He’s been on pole four times this season. However, he’s not been in the lead after lap 1 on any of those previous occasions.
Time is running out for the #4 driver with a 62-point deficit to Verstappen and Red Bull teasing upgrades for the United States GP.
Red Bull prioritize Max Verstappen’s title defence against Lando Norris
Red Bull team advisor, Helmut Marko has revealed that the Milton-Keynes-based outfit is looking to introduce upgrades for the US GP in Austin. This could change the complexion of the title fight if the Bulls are able to get on top of the issues they face with the current iteration of the RB20.
Moreover, in stark contrast to McLaren – who are yet to publicly back Norris for the title – Marko has declared that Red Bull are willing to sacrifice themselves to allow Verstappen to win his fourth consecutive world championship.
Marko makes Red Bull sacrifice clear in Verstappen title quest:
– Helmut Marko has stated that Red Bull is willing to sacrifice the constructors’ championship if it ensures Max Verstappen wins the drivers’ title.
– Red Bull’s form has dropped significantly in recent races, with… pic.twitter.com/VJ1yo3vB6N
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) September 4, 2024
RacingNews365 quoted the Austrian as saying, “If we don’t give [Verstappen] a controllable car, and have a few more performances like [the Italian Grand Prix weekend], then anything is possible [and he could lose the championship]. Of course, the priority is for Max to win the drivers’ championship [rather than the team, the constructors’].”
Historically speaking the RB20 has struggled on tracks like Baku and Singapore – the next two tracks on the 2024 calendar before the US GP.
Needless to say, the Woking-based team needs to get their own act together with a potentially small window remaining for them to allow Norris the best shot at the title.
