Lando Norris might have missed the top spot at the 2024 Canadian GP, finishing just 3.8 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, but he secured another special honor that highlights his consistency this season. Norris is now the only driver to score points in every single Grand Prix race this year.
The only race Norris had to retire from was the Miami GP Sprint, which doesn’t count as a Grand Prix outing. And Norris hasn’t just been scoring points. He has been competing at the front of the grid with the best, even clinching a win in Miami (his maiden F1 victory).
McLaren as a team has also made huge strides over the winter break, making them one of the top teams in F1 today. This has helped Norris immensely, making him a favorite for the podium places in every race.
Lando Norris is the only driver left on the grid who has scored points in every race so far this year pic.twitter.com/LUassBfjbO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 14, 2024
Even Max Verstappen, who dominated F1 in 2023, winning 19 out of 22 races, had to retire once- the 2024 Australian GP.
Other stars like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have also missed on this point-scoring streak by slim margins. Hamilton, like Verstappen, retired in Australia whereas Leclerc retired in Canada last weekend, which disrupted his otherwise perfect points-scoring season.
Can Lando Norris help McLaren beat its rivals?
Norris has become a contender in the Drivers’ Championship race, at least for P2. He is now just seven points behind second-placed Leclerc, which also makes him one of Verstappen’s rivals.
Still, challenging Verstappen for the title race remains a daunting task. The Red Bull driver’s unexpected victory in Canada earned him 25 points, taking his overall lead over Leclerc to 56. This was a huge bonus for Verstappen, particularly because Red Bull wasn’t expected to win in Montreal.
Norris and McLaren, as a result, will focus more on the Constructors’ Championship. The Woking-based outfit is 92 points behind Red Bull, which can be bridged if both Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri perform up to the mark for the remainder of the season.
Full on-board camera footage of Sergio Perez crash!#F1 #Formula1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/noBQl8VDHH
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) June 9, 2024
Piastri has expressed optimism about the same. He believes that with continued development and by tidying up a few loose ends, McLaren can certainly hope to fight for the constructors’ title.
In the last three races, no team has amassed more points than McLaren (88), and they will look to continue with this run in the coming rounds.
