The 2024 Miami GP is often labeled as the turnaround race of the current season, which saw McLaren take over from Red Bull as F1’s fastest team. And while that is true based on car performance, Max Verstappen has not let that reflect in his personal endeavors.
Since the Florida race in May, Verstappen has had more wins (4) than any other driver, with his latest one coming in Brazil, following a 10-race drought. In terms of points too, he has outscored his championship rival Lando Norris by 1o points. Verstappen has 283 and Norris 273.
It has been close, but the fact that Verstappen won seven of the opening ten races this year has kept him ahead in the drivers’ standings by some margin. The gap to Norris is now at 62 points with just three race weekends to go, making Verstappen the favorite to win his fourth world championship.
Max Verstappen now owns the most points AND wins since Miami. That’s pretty insane.
Wins:
Verstappen – 4
Norris – 3
Leclerc – 3Points:
Verstappen – 283
Norris – 273
Leclerc – 231 pic.twitter.com/vpvnkr1dMN— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 4, 2024
An even bigger surprise is that Verstappen has not only held onto his advantage but also built on it, despite not having the best car on the grid. At times, the RB20 wasn’t even the second-best car, trailing behind Norris’s MCL38 and the Ferrari SF-24 as the third-fastest.
Thankfully, Verstappen almost always finished where he needed to. Norris closed in on him in the standings, getting within 47 points heading into the Sao Paulo GP weekend. However, a masterful drive from Verstappen drastically reduced the Briton’s chances of clinching his first title.
Norris started the Grand Prix in Brazil from pole, whereas Verstappen was down in P17. It looked as though the McLaren driver had come across a golden opportunity to get a huge swing of points in his favor.
Unfortunately, the converse happened due to poor strategy and pace from McLaren as Norris finished in sixth, whereas Verstappen went on to stand on the first step of the podium.
