Max Verstappen's fourth consecutive championship triumph in 2024 also highlighted how badly it went for his main rival, Lando Norris.
Verstappen won the title with two races remaining, despite no longer being in the fastest car in the field.
The Dutchman said in Las Vegas that he would have won the championship much sooner if he had been in Norris' McLaren. The latter responded yesterday by affirming that this would not have been possible (read here).
So which of the two is right? When asked if Verstappen had any basis for making such a comment, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko said: “Yes, because he is certainly right.”
“This year, no driver other than Max would have won the world championship for us. He certainly didn't have the best car.”
“Max is clearly the best driver on the grid, he would have done better than Norris at the wheel of the McLaren. And with us there would have been another less strong driver opposite. QED as they say!”
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, however, places some of the blame for Norris' defeat on McLaren and Piastri manager Mark Webber, who he says seemed “having negotiated an agreement with strict clauses for team instructions.”
“Unfortunately for Lando, McLaren didn't help him. It's like the team doesn't want him to win the championship. Which is strange.”
“There are conditions that protect Piastri that a new driver should never have, especially if your teammate is playing in the drivers' championship.”
“I'm not saying Lando would have become champion, but he would have been a lot closer and feeling 100% support can also galvanize you. That's what Max has at Red Bull. No strings attached.”
