Max Verstappen needed one thing and definitely so at the recent Formula 1 Grand Prix. And it was to see to it that he doesn’t lag behind Lando Norris of McLaren, his closest title rival of 2024. At the end of the day, Max Verstappen finally gotten a break.
To begin with, he won the Sprint Race at the United States Grand Prix. And in the end, left COTA at Austin, Texas with more points on his pocket than the young and glowing Norris.
But, first up, let us dive into some stats.
It had been 9 races since Max Verstappen last stood on the top step of the podium. In America, it seemed, the Dutchman’s luck turned around, as he won the Sprint Race at the Circuit of The Americas last Saturday. Though, that was just the beginning.
Is the RB20 finally performing?
Source- F1 Chronicle (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Red Bull’s RB20 performed spectacularly at the start of the season. With that car, Max Verstappen won 7 out of the first 10 races of this season. The car’s shortcomings became apparent as Sergio Perez too, the teammate of The Dutchman, failed to perform.
But ‘Mad’ Max Verstappen did not let the car drag him down.
Even as with every race the car’s performance dropped, Max increased his control and literally wrestled the car across the finish line. For that to be registered, one would need to rewind the clocks to the European heartland.
Source– F1 Chronicle (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Verstappen had shown exceptional driving skills, especially at the British Grand Prix. During qualifying, the Red Bull driver had gone off track and damaged his floor.
It was reported that he lost 100 points in downforce, yet this man qualified 5th on the grid. In that race, where his teammate managed a 17th place finish, we saw a repeat of the 2021 season as “Mad Max” chased down Lewis Hamilton till the very last lap, but only managed to finish second.
Red Bull introduced new changes to car’s floor at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading to Sergio Perez almost winning that race. In Singapore, fans saw that Max Verstappen had finally gained his confidence back in the car. He said to the media that he could finally attack corners properly.
Verstappen did his best, but the car was still not operating at the optimal level, so he finished 2nd.
The United States Grand Prix appeared after a long break of three weeks. And it was here that Max Verstappen took second place on the grid in the sprint qualifying, before finally taking the lead of the race in the very 1st turn.
From thereon, Max Verstappen drove the car beautifully to the end of the race and won the Sprint Race, after a 9 race hiatus from the podium. The car’s performance is increasing again.
An amazing display of talent and skill by Max Verstappen
Source– F1 Chronicle (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Max Verstappen almost took the lead of the race at Turn 1 again, like in the Sprint Race, but Charles Leclerc beat him to it. Verstappen managed to defend 2nd place from Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc barged on ahead at Turn 1.
From there onwards, the Dutch Lion tried his best to catch up to Leclerc, but the Ferrari’s had amazing pace on race day. Carlos Sainz used the undercut strategy to overtake Verstappen.
Max, now in 3rd had the title contender behind after Norris pit in lap 31. The gap between the two decreased from 6 seconds to 0.5 seconds soon. Norris was looking for every little opportunity to overtake the champion since Lap 46.
Lando Norris tried for 6 laps to overtake on a track meant for overtaking. It was seen by fans worldwide as Max Verstappen defended every attempt with ease and a brilliant placement of his car on the track, never giving Norris any purchase or ground to have a chance at an overtake. All the while, Max Verstappen had much older tires than Norris, which were degrading fast with each lap being a push lap to stay ahead.
Lando Norris’s penalty at COTA
Lando Norris was pushing Max to cause a mistake, a slight lock up, or a slip of the racing line. The opportunity came in Lap 52, when Lando had a good exit out of turn 12 and he had the DRS advantage. Norris pulled ahead of Verstappen before the end of the straight, but Verstappen is not one to back down.
Norris braked on the racing line, only slightly ahead of Max. Max seized the opportunity and braked later than his rival and forced Norris to overtake off the track. Max was ahead at the apex of Turn 13, so the Stewards decided that Norris gained an advantage as he overtook Max outside the track, giving him a 5 second penalty.
Max Verstappen increases his points lead in the Championship
Lando Norris did not stop around and wait for the Stewards verdict. He used his newer tires to increase the gap between him and the champ. Unfortunately for Norris, the McLaren MCL38, is not suited for a track like COTA. The gap still increased to 4.1 seconds as Norris crossed the finish line. Thus, Verstappen finished 3rd in the Grand Prix, with Norris right behind him.
Winning the Sprint Race and standing on the third step of the podium gained Max a total of 23 points. Thus, Max Verstappen is now 57 points ahead of Lando Norris in the Championship.
If this pace continues, Max Verstappen will be the Formula 1 2024 World Champion.