While it did not need any proving, Max Verstappen proved his caliber at the Sao Paulo GP weekend by producing a classy drive in tricky wet conditions. Winning from 17th on the grid was a tremendous achievement, and even though Lando Norris deemed the win “lucky”, the Dutchman’s dominant display in Brazil has left the Briton’s championship dreams in the doldrums.
Norris had won the sprint race on Saturday and gained three points on his title rival. But the Grand Prix unfolded in the worst possible manner for the British driver. Norris dropped down to sixth from pole position while Verstappen carved his way through the field to cruise to a 19-second victory.
The Red Bull driver gained 18 points in the Grand Prix over Norris, outscoring the Briton by a net 15 points over the weekend. This points swing is apparently higher than any points gain by the #4 driver at any race this weekend whenever Verstappen finished the Grand Prix.
F1 analyst Daniel Valente posted about the same on Twitter (now X), stating that the only time Norris outscored Verstappen by 15 points was at the Australian GP this season, a race when the Dutchman had to retire due to brake issues.
This might be the wildest stat of the 2024 title fight:
Max Verstappen gained more points on Lando Norris in Brazil (15) than Lando gained in any race Max has finished in this season.
Shows why its so difficult to mount a title fight against drivers like Max. pic.twitter.com/nPbSEtGdCu
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 8, 2024
Meanwhile, the biggest inroad Norris made into Verstappen’s championship lead was 10 points at the Mexico City GP weekend when both drivers finished the race. This has been the story of the season due to the three-time world champion’s impeccable consistency and a tendency to maximize his results despite the worst circumstances.
Norris, on the other hand, has struggled to consistently win races despite having the fastest car underneath him since the Miami GP. Therefore, it has become an uphill battle for Norris to battle a daunting competitor like Verstappen, who even on his worst day scores points.
How Verstappen has comprehensively beaten Norris in 2024
Battling against a hard racer like Verstappen is always quite difficult from a psychological perspective. The 27-year-old has always made his opponent think twice during wheel-to-wheel combat on track. Norris also experienced it first-hand in 2024, as it was a novel experience for the Briton to fight at the front of the field consistently.
On top of that, the pressure of a championship battle and the whole narrative that started building up may have been difficult to process for Norris. He did not admit it initially but later mentioned that he felt under pressure on race weekends and did not eat or drink before races on Sunday.
Amid that psychological pressure, Verstappen persistently being aggressive with his maneuvers on track was a difficult issue to tackle as well. The Dutchman has evolved into a driver who rarely makes mistakes and his race craft has improved a lot despite his controversial moves at times getting him into trouble.
A big moment in the race and potentially the season
Norris overtakes Verstappen but picks up a 5-second penalty for passing off track ✋#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/y1DFXGde0U
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024
Norris has been clear that he wants to keep his racing maneuvers fair. But Verstappen’s aggression on track has given him the cutting edge which has been lacking in the #4 driver’s approach this season. That has been the major difference in the duo’s battles on track with Norris often coming out as the losing party, unless he had a major pace advantage at select races.
With the 2024 championship realistically out of reach, Mclaren and Norris would learn from their mistakes on all fronts to prepare for a better challenge next season. Ideally, the Briton would learn from his experience of battling with Verstappen and develop that cutting edge to beat him on track regularly.
