With the 2024 Formula 1 season now behind us, before fully turning our attention to 2025, we wondered: what could Lando Norris, together with McLaren, have done to defeat Max Verstappen and claim the 2024 drivers’ world title? Let’s analyze all the missed opportunities by the British driver and his team. To do so, we’ll break the season into three parts: from Bahrain to Monaco, from Canada to Belgium, and finally the last stretch from Zandvoort to Abu Dhabi.
Phase 1: A slow start for Norris
The first misstep occurred in Jeddah. After qualifying in sixth place, Norris maintained his position through the first part of the race. On lap 7, the Safety Car came out, prompting most drivers to pit and switch to hard tires to complete the race. Under the Safety Car, pit stop times are effectively halved.
However, Norris, who was 3.5 seconds behind Oscar Piastri, was told to stay out, losing a significant amount of time. This oversight cost the Briton two positions. The points lost in Saudi Arabia were partially “recovered” in Australia. Max Verstappen retired in the early laps, forfeiting what likely would have been a victory, and handed McLaren a podium finish.
We then move to Suzuka. An early pit stop to defend against Leclerc’s attack caused the Woking team’s lead driver to lose two positions. What could have been a podium turned into a fifth-place finish, while Verstappen continued his winning streak.
The first major blow for Norris came during the sprint in China. After a stunning pole position in torrential rain, the number 4 lost six positions on the first lap. The joy would later come in Miami with his first victory. Unfortunately, he couldn’t secure the maximum points haul: in the sprint race, starting from ninth, he was forced to retire after a racing incident.
Phase 2: Norris and McLaren on the rise
Another misstep came in Montreal. The race began in wet conditions, and Norris, showing excellent pace, managed to take the lead. However, when the Safety Car came out, the team missed another opportunity: Norris didn’t pit with his direct rivals but did so on the following lap.
With cold slick tires, he lost seven points and a potential victory. Then came Austria: in an attempt not to settle for second place, Norris and Verstappen collided, leading to the McLaren driver’s retirement.
In mixed wet and dry conditions at Silverstone, the pit stop again came a lap too late. Additionally, in the final stint, Norris switched to red tires, a strategy that proved incorrect. Another victory could have come in Hungary if McLaren hadn’t ordered a “position swap.”
Norris’s significant weakness was again evident in Belgium. At Spa, where he started from fourth, a poor exit in Turn 1 cost him positions, leaving him in seventh. Under the checkered flag, he once again finished behind Verstappen, who had started from mid-pack.
Phase 3: The championship chase
As Red Bull’s issues began, Lando Norris did everything he could to close the gap. However, in Monza, a bold move by Oscar Piastri at the chicane caused Norris to lose positions to Leclerc, resulting in more lost points. A similar scenario occurred in Baku: elimination in Q1 automatically ruled him out of any podium hopes.
In Austin and Mexico, the real battle between the two contenders emerged. In the United States, if not for a track limits penalty, Norris would have undoubtedly finished ahead of the world champion, while in Mexico, he capitalized on everything. During the Brazilian GP, held in extreme conditions, Norris finished behind Leclerc after being overtaken by Russell, despite having a significantly superior car.
More crucial points were lost in Qatar. One extra point could have come from a sprint race victory if Norris hadn’t ceded position to Piastri. In the race, without the 10-second penalty, Lando could have gained 17 additional championship points.
Conclusions
Had every race been optimized, Norris could have scored 476 points, 35 more than Verstappen. Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, would have won the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship. However, if Verstappen had achieved the maximum possible score at every weekend, the season’s actual outcome would have remained unchanged.
Leave a Reply