Button: Norris can still do it, pressure on Verstappen increasing

Friday, 18 October 2024 at 07:30

Safe bets will be on Max Verstappen holding out to win the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, however, some notables believe that Lando Norris can still be champion.

Ahead of the forthcoming United States Grand Prix and Sprint Race weekend, among the few making the 'Norris-to-be-Champ' call is none other than 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, who told Sky F1: "Lando can still do it because the pressure on Verstappen is increasing in various ways.

"First of all, it's not just Norris, Oscar Piastri, and McLaren who are making life difficult for him. We also have Ferrari and Mercedes, who are happily involved. Red Bull Racing is no longer finding it as easy as it did in the first part of the season."

"I think Max is incredibly strong mentally. He is certainly a driver who can handle more pressure than most other drivers. But it is a difficult situation for him too. There is the nagging thought that he may not win for the rest of the season."

The numbers favour Verstappen more than Norris

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 25: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 follows Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes during the F1 Grand Prix of Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 25, 2024 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202408250423 // Usage for editorial use only //

"Max is forced to make the most of his opportunities in every race, and that makes it even more difficult to get on the podium," ventured Button, a 15-time GP winner.

Stats show that after 18 of the 24 rounds this season, Verstappen with 331 points leads the 2024 F1 Drivers' standings by 52 points over Norris, with six Grand Prix weekends remaining, three of them including Sprint Races, aka more points.

The math shows that Norris needs to score circa nine points more per race than Verstappen in the remaining half-dozen race weekends. Consider that when the Red Bull driver last won Round 10 in Spain, his points lead was 69 points.

Thus, a 15-point reel-in over eight races since then has been in favour of Norris, but the average of 2 points and a bit per race is not going to cut it for the McLaren driver.

Steiner agrees with Button, Norris can do it

Tapping into his own title victory in 2009 with Brawn GP, Button said: "The car is obviously not as competitive as it was in the first part of the season, and when someone chases you so mercilessly, it is damn tough." Referencing Sebastian Vettel's late-season charge with Red Bull that year.

One could argue that the 66-year-old Briton is partisan, as Norris is his fellow countryman, so it's probably more of a wish than a real prediction.

But he is not alone. Former Haas F1 Team boss turned media superstar Guenther Steiner agrees with Button: "I think the title race is wide open between Lando and Max. At the moment, I think Lando is in a better position to win.

“He is driving very consistently, while Max seems to be struggling more with his car. This makes it all very interesting," reckoned Steiner, pointing to the sharp downward turn in the form of the Red Bull RB20. The same car that won seven of the first ten GPs earlier this year.