McLaren, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, has steadily climbed their way up the rankings in both the World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) and the World Constructors’ Championship (WCC). They are now first in the WCC after overtaking Red Bull.
Lando Norris is not too far behind the current reigning champion, Max Verstappen. For the first time in several years, McLaren could walk away with both Championships.
Verstappen has won the championship the past three years in a row and is set to win it a 4th time. If he manages to succeed, he will follow in Sebastian Vettel’s footsteps by winning four back-to-back championships with Red Bull. This is the first time Norris has been this close to winning a championship. Will he be able to pull it off and stop Verstappen?
Oscar Piastri still has faith in Lando Norris’s bid for the World Drivers’ Championship
Oscar Piastri believes that his teammate Lando Norris has what it takes to become the 2024 World Drivers’ Champion. During his media day interview, he spoke about the ongoing fight for the championship. He still thinks it’s possible but also that “it’s up to both drivers”. For Lando Norris to win, he will need to remain focused and on top of his game.
The gaps are coming down!!
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 29, 2024
With 120 points still on the table this championship could go down to the wire!#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/TnhfPWjhHt
Piastri continued by saying that “Lando can’t just win every race and have Max finish second as Max will still win,”.
However, Piastri also noted that there is more than just McLaren and Red Bull in this fight. When speaking about how close the fight is, he mentioned “It’s tight with the top three teams and Mercedes sometimes as well. It’s possible, but it will be tough,”. It is still mathematically possible for both Norris and Piastri to win the WDC.
Why the Brazilian GP gives Lando Norris the best chance to close the gap
The Brazilian Grand Prix gives Lando Norris a chance to outscore Max Verstappen as Verstappen is set to take a 5-place penalty.
Norris has recently called out Verstappen for his “dangerous” driving. After the Mexican Grand Prix, Verstappen received two penalty points due to his race behaviors. Verstappen now has to be extra careful to ensure he does not collect any more penalty points or time penalties in conjunction with his existing grid penalty.
🚨 | Max Verstappen is set to replace the internal combustion engine for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 31, 2024
Verstappen’s 5-place gridpenalty applies for main race, and not the sprint race that happens on Saturday.#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/EieXHdAxDJ
Turns 1 & 3 are already tricky, so as long as Norris places high enough, he will not have direct racing with Verstappen immediately. For instance, if Norris is on pole and Verstappen second, they have few chances to interact in the first lap as Verstappen would be demoted to 7th place.
However, this only works if Norris qualifies well and Verstappen doesn’t. If Norris plays his cards right, he can once again end up on the podium with Verstappen in the background thus gaining points and bringing the title fight closer.
