After a perfect weekend in Singapore, Lando Norris can confidently prepare for the Austin race: the McLaren driver is getting closer to Verstappen in the championship, but something is still missing. According to Nico Rosberg, the 1999-born Brit still needs to grow, especially in a particular aspect.
Over twenty seconds ahead of second place. In Singapore, Lando Norris was the absolute star: the Englishman dominated the race from start to finish, creating a massive gap between himself and the first of his chasers, Max Verstappen.
The 24-year-old from Bristol enters the October mini-break with the awareness that he has the most consistent car on the grid. When the championship resumes in Austin, Norris will attempt to close the 52-point gap that separates him from the top spot, currently held by his rival Verstappen.
With six rounds left until the end of the season, anything can still happen, and Lando Norris can believe in the challenge, provided he addresses the significant flaw he showed in Singapore. Nico Rosberg shared his perspective on Lando Norris. The former German driver, F1 world champion in 2016, said: “He made some really strange mistakes during the race in Singapore. They surprised me in some way; he touched the wall twice!”
But that’s not all. The incident that most jeopardized the Englishman’s race was that noticeable lock-up at turn 14: “He went miles off track! It was a really heavy lock-up, not a slight one… At another point, he hit the same wall (entering turn 10, ed.) that Russell crashed into in 2023.”
“Additionally, you might not remember that he went off track again when he was about to lap a car, a Williams,” Nico Rosberg continued, speaking to Sky F1. “He had three close calls, it’s so strange.”
“I can’t remember any instances where Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, or myself made three similar mistakes in a race we were dominating with a 30-second lead,” explained the 39-year-old from Wiesbaden. “I know Singapore tests your physical and mental stamina, but I don’t know why there were so many mistakes.” – he pointed out.
In conclusion, can Lando Norris be a championship-caliber driver after Singapore? According to Nico Rosberg, there’s something to fix: “We know Lando tends to make these small mistakes almost everywhere. He needs to fix this flaw if he wants to fight for the championship this year.” – the former Formula 1 champion concluded.
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