Lando Norris has accumulated a total of 150 points in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship so far this season.
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Helmut Marko have faced fierce competition from their rivals this year. This was evident during the Spanish Grand Prix, when a driver from another team claimed pole position ahead of Verstappen. Despite the initial scare, Verstappen showcased impressive overtaking skills and managed to hold onto victory in the race by a very narrow margin. As a result, some claim that Norris does not possess the flawless driving skills of Verstappen, which ultimately cost him the win in Spain.
During qualifying, Lando Norris secured pole position by just two hundredths of a second ahead of Max Verstappen. This achievement sent a clear message to the paddock that Red Bull was no longer the fastest car on the track. However, when race day arrived, Norris was unable to capitalize on his advantage and dropped to third position by the end of the first lap.
On the other hand, in the third lap, Verstappen managed to regain the lead and maintained control of the race from that point onwards. This difference in performance led Helmut Marko to assert that Norris is incapable of driving flawlessly like the three-time world champion.
Marko began by recalling McLaren’s resurgence in Austria last year. The McLaren team introduced an upgrade package that brought them closer to Red Bull. A similar situation has unfolded this year, with McLaren emerging as Red Bull’s main competitor. However, Marko further stated that there is no need to worry too much about McLaren, as Norris frequently makes mistakes and cannot drive in the same way as Verstappen.
Despite downplaying McLaren’s pace, Marko still expresses concern about the possibility of Norris stealing victories from Red Bull. Additionally, another team has recently shown a significant improvement in pace and emerged as a challenger for the top positions.
This has led the octogenarian to anticipate a resurgence from Mercedes, as they could potentially hinder McLaren’s progress. Marko believes that if the Mercedes team can prevent McLaren’s fight against Red Bull, then Red Bull can breathe a sigh of relief. This would allow them to extend their advantage in both championships, while the other teams would be busy taking points off each other.
Furthermore, at the moment, Red Bull is leading the championship with a 60-point margin ahead of their closest competitor. Therefore, if Red Bull has a poor performance in their home race and rival teams manage to close the gap, an unexpected battle for the championship may be on the horizon.
