Lando Norris ‘refreshed and ready’ for the final 10 races of 2024 amidst title battle against Max Verstappen
Lando Norris has a steep deficit to overturn if he has to overthrow Max Verstappen from the title lead.
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Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
The 2024 season has unexpectedly become one of the most interesting championship battles in a long time. Despite Red Bull starting with a hefty advantage over the others, the team has tripped over some developmental issues helping McLaren to catch up to them. This has led to a battle for the driver’s championship to develop between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, as the latter is preparing for the final 10 races to give the Dutchman a tough fight for the title.
Max Verstappen has won half the races so far this year (7 out of 14). However, in the recent ones, the 26-year-old has often found himself battling in the midfield which has aided Lando Norris to make a bid for the driver’s title. Despite the Brit’s high expectations, Verstappen has outscored him in the past seven rounds by 18 points boosting the debate whether Norris is the right candidate for the championship.
Though people around the paddock have been raising eyebrows around his caliber, the McLaren driver asserted that he would start the remaining 10 races with a refreshed mindset.
I feel refreshed and ready for the final 10 races of the year. I’m looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix. It’s a good race to start the second half of the season. There are always a lot of fans in the crowd who bring a great atmosphere to be a part of. It’s also a fun circuit to drive. Hopefully, we can continue where we left off and continue bringing the fight for wins and podiums.Lando Norris said in an interview as quoted by RacingNews365
The Englishman asserted he was looking forward to the race in Zandvoort. Moreover, he reckons he is ready for the second half of the season, and hopes to fight for more wins to aid him in his championship charge.
Lando Norris addresses his weakness of botching the starts
While Norris has emerged as the leader at the Woking-based outfit, his teammate has outscored him in the last few rounds. This difference in points scored has been witnessed due to the Brit occasionally losing places on the first lap. On the other hand, Oscar Piastri has often made brilliant moves when the lights go out.
The 24-year-old has bottled multiple great chances and needs to avoid such instances going forward.
I think at the minute, both from my side, on not having the best starts, and also from a team side, which is a bit more down to say Canada [and] Silverstone. It's like four opportunities to score maybe 25 more points, or something. And, as much as that's 25 more, that's also for Max 15, 20 less. It's cleaning up those and winning when I should, basically.Lando Norris said in an interview with RacingNews365
Norris claimed there have been mistakes from both his and the team’s side. Furthermore, he feels the guilt of conceding more points instead of gaining on his championship rival, but he wants to clean the mess up and start the next half of the season with a fighting spirit.
On the other hand, the constructor’s championship seems more viable for McLaren than the driver’s. The English team trails Red Bull by 42 points, a gap that could be surpassed in a single Grand Prix weekend. Thus, McLaren might prioritize the constructor’s championship over the driver’s if Norris’ title charge hampers the team’s progress.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)