In the fight for the title of F1 world champion with Max Verstappen, Lando Norris has a serious opportunity to catch up this weekend in Brazil. But Ferrari could play referee.
In this title race in which we no longer believed after the Dutchman’s fantastic start to the season, Verstappen arrived at the Interlagos track, in Sao Paulo, scene of the 21st round (out of 24), with a lead of 47 points over the McLaren driver.
Last Sunday, ‘Mad Max’ conceded ten additional points to his rival at the end of the Mexican Grand Prix, the fault of two penalties imposed in quick succession, the stewards having judged him guilty of disputed overtaking against the British. A change in the rules relating to overtaking could also take place by the end of the season.
But, more than these penalties, it was above all the lack of rhythm of the Red Bull which worried Verstappen, only 6th in the GP far behind Norris, 2nd.
‘We are working hard to understand what went wrong,’ the three-time reigning champion explained at the start of the week. We now have to do everything we can to be more competitive and get back to where we know we can be.’
New penalty in sight
Verstappen and Norris can both achieve a good accounting operation this weekend since up to 34 points (compared to 26 usually) will be to be gleaned, thanks to the 5th sprint (out of 6) of the year, run on Saturday.
If ‘Super Max’ wants to capitalize on his performances in the sprint race to keep his main opponent at bay, since no victory has yet escaped him this season, he should on the other hand receive a penalty on Sunday on the starting grid, in due to engine element changes beyond authorized quotas. The information, given on Wednesday by Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko, has not yet been made official.
During the first day in Mexico, the Dutchman suffered an engine problem, forcing his team to draw on its stock of old engines to avoid this penalty, a factor which would also explain the difficulties encountered in the race by the driver. , according to Marko.
Ferrari as referee?
Since the end of the summer break, the battle between the two drivers has turned to Norris’s advantage: he has scored 116 points against only 85 for Verstappen, whose last victory dates back to June, during the Spanish GP.
However, watch out for Ferrari, for whom Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have each won a victory in the last two meetings, thus depriving the Red Bull and McLaren drivers of precious points.
Thanks to the performances of its drivers, the Scuderia even regained second place in the constructors’ championship, to the detriment of the Austrian team which suffered a series of disappointments in Mexico: its second driver Sergio Pérez, whose place in F1 was never also threatened, finished last in his national GP.
At the front, McLaren retains the reins of the general classification ahead of Ferrari, by 29 points.
/ATS
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