Ex-F1 driver blames Lando Norris for being ‘too passive’ against Max Verstappen at Brazilian GP
Christian Klein criticized Lando Norris for being too passive in the championship battle against Max Verstappen in Brazil.
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Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)
The Brazilian Grand Prix of 2024 turned into a high-stakes showdown. Max Verstappen‘s relentless pursuit of victory collided with Lando Norris‘s desperate bid to keep his championship dream alive.
This stellar performance from the Dutchman left everyone in awe despite the weekend being in favor of Norris. Former F1 driver Christian Klien believes the Briton was too passive in his fight with the Dutchman.
The Brazilian GP looked like a series of setbacks for Max Verstappen as he struggled in qualifying and started the race at P17. Lando Norris lined up in pole position, hoping to close the gap to the Dutchman ahead of their championship fight.
However, Verstappen delivered a superb performance, handling the challenging conditions at Interlagos to take victory by nearly 20 seconds. On the other hand, the Briton’s performance faded due to uncertain conditions on the track and ended up in sixth place.
Ex-F1 driver Christian Klien asserted that it was a great opportunity for the 24-year-old and he didn’t take full advantage of that. Klien believed that Norris was too passive and didn’t push hard enough when it mattered the most.
Under such conditions, the wheat is separated from the chaff among the drivers. Norris was often the fastest man until the race, he did everything right in the last qualifying session. Max’s seventeenth starting place was a huge opportunity for Lando to make up a lot of points on the world champion. In the race, however, he was just too passive.
Christian Klien said, as reported by GPblog.com
Lando Norris said luck was the reason for his rival’s victory at the Interlagos. A red flag earned Verstappen a free pitstop, which helped him easily pass the Brit on lap 43 after exiting the pits with fresher tires. However, Klein believes that the Red Bull driver would’ve won even if that had not happened.
Max proved that when it’s wet, he can beat anyone, even with an inferior car. It was sensational to see how faultless he drove, just bizarre. I maintain that with the pace Max had, he could have easily overtaken Lando even without the race being stopped.
Christian Klein added
Christian Klien pinpoints Lando Norris’s mistakes at the Brazilian GP affecting his performance
Lando Norris’s blunders began right at the start of the race. He did not react to the lights on time and had a delay in accelerating. To make matters worse, rain was a big problem and McLaren’s strategic calls hampered his race.
Christian Klein explained George Russell shouldn’t have taken the lead. He said that it was not the first time Norris had a bad start in a race.
Lando didn’t have the speed that day to fight back against Max. He made another mistake in Turn 1 shortly after the start and Russell took over the lead as a result. As someone who wants to win the world title, that just shouldn’t happen. We have seen a couple of times now that Norris fails to cash in on his pole position.
Christian Klein explained
After the Brazilian GP, Norris finds himself 62 points behind Verstappen, with only three races remaining. Closing the gap seems nearly impossible at this point.
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Gaurang Kadam
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