Lando Norris has key issue to fix as McLaren star gets blueprint to beat Max Verstappen
EXCLUSIVE: Lando Norris is fighting for his first World Championship, but has plenty of hurdles to pass before the season ends.
Lando Norris has been told that he needs to be more consistent if he is to beat Max Verstappen to the Drivers’ Championship title in 2024. The McLaren star trails his rival by 52 points heading into the final six races of the campaign.
The 24-year-old has been in the ascendancy since the summer break and heads into next month’s United States Grand Prix with two wins and one podium in his past four races. Verstappen, meanwhile, is winless in eight, although some impressive damage limitation means that he has a worst finish of sixth during that period.
With such impressive machinery underneath him, Norris will have a chance to win every remaining race and with team-mate Oscar Piastri a genuine threat to Verstappen, he has the help he needs to mount a serious challenge. However, he cannot afford any costly mistakes before the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.
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Offering his thoughts on the Brit’s title hopes, former McLaren driver Mark Blundell told Express Sport, in association with Freebets.com: “I think he's got what it takes in terms of performance.
“Whether he's got what it takes in terms of consistency to get to the end of the season and actually put that to bed, we'll have to wait and see because he's up against a seasoned campaigner with a very good understanding of what it takes to win a world championship.
“And if he keeps consistent, Max, then it's going to be quite tough. If the spread of results is big enough to make the difference and diminish his lead, then, yeah, then the pressure is on.
"But at this point, I think Red Bull are probably hoping that they're going to get a couple of advantages at some tracks in the future, that we're going to give him some wins again under his belt.”
If Norris is going to rattle off a string of wins to put Verstappen under pressure then he will be relying on Red Bull’s upcoming upgrade package not bringing the desired leap in performance for the RB20.
As explained by Helmut Marko in Singapore, the reigning world champions are banking on their upcoming upgrade package to resurrect their form after Verstappen finished over 20 seconds behind Norris at the most recent Grand Prix.
