George Russell’s shock victory at the Austrian Grand Prix only strengthened Max Verstappen’s status as the overwhelming favourite to win the 2024 Formula 1 title.
Verstappen dominated for much of Sunday’s race before a poor pit stop put Lando Norris within striking distance. As Norris chased Verstappen for the final 20 laps of the race, he was able to make repeated overtaking attempts to take the lead thanks to the DRS advantage he had behind Verstappen.
Norris knew he had to be aggressive; and that desperation finally appeared on lap 64 of the 71-lap race, when the two drivers made contact in Turn 3.
The contact caused tire punctures for both drivers and Russell took the race lead as they limped into the pits. But Norris took the brunt of the contact with Verstappen and had to retire his car a lap later. Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to finish fifth and extend his points lead over Norris.
Versappen now has an 81-point lead over Norris after the first 11 races of the 84-race season. Yes, Verstappen has failed to win more races (four) this season than he has in the whole of 2023 (three). But it’s hard to see Norris, or anyone else, capable of challenging Verstappen for the championship.
Norris won pole a week ago at the Spanish Grand Prix but lost positions to Russell and Verstappen at the start before finishing second behind Verstappen. After that race, Norris said he needed to be perfect to beat Verstappen. And that’s a sentiment that rings even truer after Austria.
Verstappen won Saturday’s sprint race before taking pole for Sunday’s main event in Spielberg. And although his car was not a big fan of hard tires, he was the fastest throughout the race. If it weren’t for the slow pit stop, Norris would hardly have a chance to win.
But that slow pit stop exemplifies what it takes to beat Red Bull and Verstappen in F1 these days. It is incredibly difficult to defeat them directly. If Verstappen and Red Bull do not make mistakes, it is almost impossible to beat them.
After Sunday’s race, Norris expressed his displeasure at the way Verstappen raced him before they made contact. Verstappen knew that Norris had a straight-line pace advantage thanks to his drag reduction system on the straights and was aggressive in defending his line. Norris thought that Verstappen was being too aggressive, while Verstappen radioed his team during the race that he thought Norris was also being too aggressive.
It was the type of battle that has been lost for much of the last two seasons, as Verstappen has dominated Grands Prix on a weekly basis. It was fun to watch it play out and the surprise winner was a fun aspect too, even if Russell received a huge gift.
Mercedes’ second victory since 2021 is a big boost for the team after having struggled to control its car since the start of the 2022 season. The team has made great strides in recent weeks, although it is clear that Red Bull and McLaren They are still the two fastest teams on the grid at the moment.
Norris is a worthy challenger to Verstappen, and will probably win another race or three before the season is out, unless McLaren has a serious dip in form. But Verstappen will struggle to build up a three-point lead in the race. And it’s very, very hard to imagine that happening.