Although Lando Norris is only 24, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan fears that the British driver may go down as one of the fastest racers on the grid who may never win a championship. Jordan fears the same after Norris again failed to beat Max Verstappen last weekend at Austin.
Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan highlighted how Norris’ Achilles heel may be that he is too “nice“. This has been a talking point as many believe Norris cannot take on the ruthless behemoth that Verstappen is.
Jordan acknowledged that being nice or not doesn’t make a great driver. However, Norris’ lack of consistency in getting race wins and dominating as Verstappen has previously is concerning for his championship hopes. The Irishman said,
“The fact is that Lando Norris will go down in the history books as being one of the most incredibly fastest drivers, possibly, not to win a world championship.”
The former F1 team boss mentioned how Norris should have been “out of sight” in several races this season, as he had the fastest car. In those races, Verstappen was even struggling with his car’s handling issues, so effectively Norris had no competition and could’ve won dominantly.
Your Italian Grand Prix top 3!
Leclerc
Piastri
Norris#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/2jnDdHhABw— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2024
Still, drivers like Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and even his teammate Oscar Piastri took many points away from him. Since the Miami GP, Norris has only won two races, which could have been five or six with a few more podiums, had he been consistent in maximizing the potential of his MCL38.
But the fact that Leclerc has now equaled Norris with three wins this season to his name is an embarrassing situation for the Briton, to say the least. Moreover, the #16 driver is only 22 points behind Norris in the championship standings. So, there is a real possibility that the title contender Norris could end up finishing third eventually.
Norris’ inconsistency is Verstappen’s gain
Verstappen gained five points over Norris from the US GP weekend which extended his lead in the standings to 57 points. With only five races remaining, this is a big boost to Verstappen’s championship defense. Norris’ failure to convert another pole to a win has shifted the momentum in the Dutchman’s favor now.
At this stage, Verstappen doesn’t even need to win any more races till the season’s end. If he can consistently finish on the podium and get a top-five finish in the odd bad race, it will be enough for him to secure his fourth world championship. Moreover, the 27-year-old is in a comfortable situation due to Norris’ inconsistency in getting race wins.
After the summer break, Norris has only won two out of the five races with Leclerc and Piastri taking the other victories. Currently, Norris needs to win every remaining Grand Prix and sprint race while hoping for Verstappen to have a couple of bad races — wherein he probably suffers a DNF or finishes outside the points.
That is the only way Norris can claw his way back into the championship battle. Otherwise, Verstappen can just play his defense battle — like he did in Austin — to keep the Briton at bay till Abu Dhabi.
