Following the Brazilian Grand Prix, and barring a miracle, Lando Norris saw his last chances of winning the drivers' championship disappear.
Since this event, McLaren F1's discourse has evolved: the team now says that it was not really aiming for the drivers' title, but rather that of the constructors.
Is this a way of rewriting history? Can we speak of a denial of reality? Because, it must be said: faced with an inflexible Max Verstappen who left nothing to chance, Lando Norris and McLaren F1 have let a large number of points slip away this season. Here’s a look back at these missed opportunities…
These accumulated errors leave Norris, who currently sits 62 points behind Verstappen with another 86 potential points, far from the title fight – a gap that would have been much smaller without these multiple errors.
Bahrain Grand Prix
Lando Norris begins the season with a fifth place at the first Grand Prix, after having qualified sixth. He admits to having made a mistake in qualifying, preventing him from reaching a place on the front row.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
In Jeddah, his teammate Oscar Piastri outperformed him in both qualifying and the race, finishing in fourth place. If Norris had matched or exceeded Piastri's performance, he could have aimed for that fourth place and gained a few more points.
Australian Grand Prix
In Australia, Norris finished third, behind the Ferraris, after following Charles Leclerc during his first stop. Norris then regrets not having tried an undercut strategy, which could have allowed him to get past Leclerc.
Japanese Grand Prix
Qualified in third position, Norris finally finished fifth, beaten by the Ferraris in great shape. He didn't make a major mistake, but probably could have gotten a better result starting so high.
Chinese Grand Prix sprint race
Unconverted pole positions begin during the Shanghai sprint race. Starting from pole, Norris missed his start and finished sixth, losing four points. A more successful start would have allowed him to score valuable points for the championship.
Miami Grand Prix (sprint)
Norris was knocked out of the top places following a disappointing qualification which placed him in a bad position in the peloton. With better qualifications, like those of his teammate Piastri, he could have started sixth, giving him a chance to score three more points.
Canadian Grand Prix
In Montreal, McLaren missed a major opportunity to bring Norris into the pits under a safety car, costing him a chance of victory. While Red Bull anticipates the switch to intermediate tires for Verstappen, McLaren is slow to react, preventing Norris from taking the lead. This error cost him a victory and around 14 points.
Spanish Grand Prix
Starting on pole, Norris lost first position on the first lap, then second to Verstappen and Russell. Although he regained ground along the way, he failed to catch the Red Bull, letting a possible victory slip away.
Austrian Grand Prix sprint race
During this sprint race, Norris briefly took the lead by overtaking Verstappen, but quickly left an opening which allowed his opponent to regain first place. A stronger defense would have given him two additional points compared to Max.
British Grand Prix
Another race that McLaren could have won. After a brief stint in the lead, Norris finished third, penalized by two strategic errors from his team: a pit stop a lap too late and a choice of soft tires instead of mediums. These decisions cost him first place and ten points.
Belgian Grand Prix
At Spa, Norris had a poor qualifying session and found himself trapped in a gravel trap at the start of the race. Instead of a second place like Piastri, he finished fifth, losing eight points.
Brazilian Grand Prix
At Interlagos, Norris started on pole but again missed his two starts (the 2nd after the red flag), finishing sixth instead of retaining the lead. Verstappen masterfully won the race, while Norris, stuck behind his opponents, was unable to recover. He also made a mistake on the second start, going off-track. In addition, McLaren decided to make him enter the pits just before the end of the virtual safety car, penalizing him further. He thus lost 17 points which could have kept him in contention for the title.
Review of the season
Norris's mistakes – whether they were botched strategies, slow starts or performing below his potential – would have cost him around 92 points. At the same time, his team's strategic decisions would have caused him to lose 27, while external factors, including bad luck, accounted for around 31.
