A horrifying capitulation at the Brazilian Grand Prix has seen Lando Norris’ world championship dreams all but dissipate.
Poor racecraft coupled with a bad mindset signifies world championship aspirations remain far-fetched for the McLaren driver.
After an unconventional Sunday morning qualifying the talk was that Norris could close the gap to title rival Max Verstappen, starting on pole and his rival adrift in 17th all looked splendid for the Brit.
A 15-point swing to Norris would make the title tangible. Rather, a failure to correct deficiencies saw the McLaren pilot again lose the lead in the Grand Prix at the opening.
Supposing a lack of confidence or speed Norris couldn’t regain the lead from George Russell.
Admittedly, Norris’ issues were compounded by poor strategy. Pitting for fresh intermediate tyres just three laps shy of a red flag due to Franco Colapinto’s shunt saw him fall to fifth.
The calamity was the much faster Verstappen was already ahead of car number four. After a second safety car on lap 43 Norris did the unforgivable.
Norris, with cold breaks, slid off the track behind Russell dropping from fifth to seventh.
This effectively curtailed his race despite being allowed past by a selfless Piatsri the title hopeful could not make any inroads into Charles Leclerc’s position.
Norris finished the Grand Prix in Sao Paulo a crushing sixth whilst Verstappen was victorious.
Disbarring the Britan’s procedural error, leading the grid off after an abandoned start led to only a fine.
A penalty could’ve been well justified adding to a catastrophic Sunday. The potential for danger was high in an Interlagos storm and many assumed Norris would face a time penalty for his actions. Worst yet was Norris’ demeanour succeeding the race.
In response to the red flag, Norris dismissed Verstappen’s fortune stating, “You take a gamble and it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck.”
This attitude articulates an inability to look within. Failure to lead and build a gap in wet conditions cost Norris a chance at victory.
Verstappen likely would have still triumphed but leading mitigates the threat, Norris is incapable of executing the aforementioned.
Norris has also shown throughout the season a high degree of self-blame, which can be harmful to a driver’s confidence.
However, it must be said Norris cannot shrug off poor races with the blame of misfortune instead. Norris needs to adapt both his mental fortitude and consistency to be considered of world championship calibre.
Either the criticism or learnings from the Brazilian Grand Prix will come as a harsh reality. Lando Norris has the potential to fight for championships as does a host of others.
The forthcoming year looks to be as balanced as Formula 1 can be, Norris won’t just have to beat Verstappen.
With a Ferrari super duo, a young improving teammate and Verstappen remaining in the picture Norris will have to step up in 2025.
The feat is possible, but evolution is required to ascend in Formula 1.