Nigel Mansell believes that Lando Norris could win his first world title this year. The former Formula One driver pointed out that if Max Verstappen were to retire from one race, it could give Norris the chance to win the title. However, Mansell also believes that a mistake from the McLaren driver could cost him dearly. In fact, a simple misstep by Lando could allow Max to get significantly closer to securing the world title.
Max Verstappen currently has a 52-point lead over his rival, but Mansell thinks the situation could change very quickly. “I think he (Norris) can overtake Max because Red Bull has had fantastic reliability so far and Max (Verstappen) just needs one retirement or problem [for Lando to catch up],” he said in a conversation with Top Offshore Sportsbooks.
“I think the other very unfortunate thing is that Lando made the mistake of trying to pass Max Verstappen on the outside in Austria. Because you can’t overtake a multiple world champion on the outside. And that race was his, and now he could be 25 points closer. So I believe he still has a great chance to fight for the championship,” concluded the 1992 world champion.
With six races to go, the pressure on Red Bull is stronger than ever. The Austrian F1 team will need to bring an effective upgrade package to the next race in Austin to make the RB20 competitive again. Thanks also to Daniel Ricciardo‘s fastest lap in the Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen could finish second behind Norris for the rest of the season. In this scenario, the Dutchman would win his fourth world title in Abu Dhabi with a two-point lead.
Can we really be sure that Lando Norris will win all the remaining races and that Max Verstappen will always finish second?
The question seems obvious, but it’s not. McLaren is currently the car to beat, followed by Red Bull, with Ferrari and Mercedes not far behind. This variety of winners favors Max Verstappen, as no other driver is dominating (excluding Verstappen himself). This factor could help the Dutchman secure his fourth world title. Will Max keep the championship lead, or will Norris overtake him and secure his first world title?
Leave a Reply