Max Verstappen takes dig at Lando Norris over failure to win 2024 title with faster McLaren
Max Verstappen has stated that he would have won the 2024 F1 title much earlier if he was driving Lando Norris' McLaren car.
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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)
After the initial few rounds of the 2024 season, Red Bull Racing’s performance plummeted and McLaren overtook the Austrian giant on raw pace. Despite this, Max Verstappen was able to win the drivers’ concurrent championship with two rounds to spare.
This led the Dutchman to take an unintentional jibe at Lando Norris‘ performance in the McLaren, insisting that he would have won the title much earlier in the papaya car. Max Verstappen has won eight Grand Prix this year.
However, seven of the eight wins have come in the first half of the season with only the Brazilian GP standing out as an exception. Despite such hurdles, the reigning champion held a strong grasp over the drivers’ title, which was aided by Lando Norris often bottling his chances despite having the fastest car on the grid.
Verstappen has stated that he would have sealed the title much earlier if he had been driving for McLaren. He said he would have done the same if he was driving for Mercedes in 2021.
Would I have become champion in the McLaren? Yes! And much earlier too. In 2021 I would have also won the title in a different car [Mercedes].
Max Verstappen said (via The Telegraaf)
Red Bull praised Max Verstappen for his resilience amidst the topsy-turvy 2024 campaign
While Max Verstappen sealed the championship in Las Vegas by finishing fifth, his teammate Sergio Perez finished 10th and bagged a solitary point for Red Bull. This showcased how the Dutchman had been out-dragging the tantrum-throwing RB20 in a tough season.
This subsequently led Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to applaud Verstappen on staying focused throughout the year, despite being troubled by the car. The team supremo also said that they need to work hard to improve the car next season.
He hasn’t been distracted; he’s just got in and got on with the job, and I think that there’s obviously areas that we need to improve for next year and the team’s very focused very hard on that and how we build on this for consecutive championships.
Christian Horner said (via GPBlog)
With Perez’s performance not getting better, Red Bull’s third-place finish in the constructors’ standings is almost certain. On the other hand, Ferrari and McLaren are expected to fight for the title till the final race in Abu Dhabi.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)