Max Verstappen still has some reserves, but resources are beginning to thin. With 120 points still available before the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi, having a 47-point advantage allows him to keep stress out of the garage. However, the RB20’s performance is increasing the pressure on Max Verstappen and Red Bull. In Mexico, the team’s work went in the right direction; Max Verstappen (thanks to a strong qualifying session that placed him on the front row) even led for eight laps, but ultimately, he wasn’t able to compete with Ferrari and Red Bull.
Without the twenty-second penalty he received for his two maneuvers against Lando Norris, Max Verstappen might have aimed for fourth place, but nothing more. “Aside from the twenty seconds, the most worrying problem was the race pace,” admitted Max after the race. “It’s not even a question of tire compounds, as we were slow on both the mediums and the hards. We’re just too slow, which is why I’m fighting to save what I can. After serving the penalty at the pit stop, I climbed back to sixth, but I couldn’t catch the two Mercedes. I had no grip left, I was sliding a lot and couldn’t brake. So yes, it was a very tough race.”
Another piece of bad news for Max Verstappen is the FIA’s change of direction. The new guidelines aim to curb Max’s on-track conduct, a tool the world champion used extensively in 2021 against Hamilton and recently against Norris. If the Interlagos weekend once again brings a close-quarters battle between the two, it will be interesting to see whether Verstappen chooses to align with the new standard set by the race stewards or continues on his own path.
Coming out stronger from the Mexican weekend was the British driver of McLaren. Three aspects contribute to his pre-race optimism for the upcoming Brazilian weekend: the regained competitiveness of the car, his success in the head-to-head against Max Verstappen, and the awareness that he has nothing to lose. “I’m usually not happy with a second-place finish,” admitted Lando Norris -“but today I’m very, very satisfied. The car performed well, especially in the second stint on the hards, and it gave me some hope of being competitive against Ferrari.”
“It’s clear now that Max doesn’t care where he finishes the race,” Lando Norris continued. “His only goal is to beat me. He’ll sacrifice himself to do it, like he did today. It will always be tough with Max; he’ll never make life easy for anyone, and especially not for me, but today he got what he deserved.” – the McLaren driver concluded at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix.
There’s also one final factor that might help Lando Norris’s comeback: the possibility that Max Verstappen will need to use a new power unit in São Paulo. The team has neither confirmed nor denied it, and a decision will be made in the coming days. Starting from the second half of the grid would mean another uphill race for Max, with the risk that the two McLarens, on paper, could aim for the maximum points haul.
Leave a Reply