The moment that Lando Norris is going through in the current Formula One season does not compare to what Lewis Hamilton experienced in 2021.
Canonical or not, fate put the British against the same rival, Max Verstappen, to fight for the title until the last race of the calendar if necessary.
Currently, the McLaren driver is second in the Drivers’ Championship with 279 points and has a deficit of 52 units compared to the Dutchman, so betting on a comeback requires a double effort than that made by the 7-time champion of the Maximum Category and Mercedes. . 3 years ago, Hamilton arrived on the American tour with 255.5 points, while the three-time champion was in front with 262.5 points, so the difference was minimal.
The good start to the year with victories in Bahrain, Portugal and Spain cushioned the Englishman’s fall when Red Bull unlocked the speed of his car.
The contenders exchanged the lead on 4 occasions and in Austria was where there was the greatest distance between them, since Max had 182 points to Hamilton’s 149, 33 points in between. With Norris the panorama is different for several reasons. At the beginning of 2024 he was not considered a candidate for the crown because his results were barely enough to be among the top 5. His rebound occurred in Miami with the victory, and the following podiums in Emilia Romagna, Canada and Spain stabilized him, but their proximity did not bother Verstappen. From Austria to Singapore, 2 first places fell to Lando’s side and none to Max, which sparked hope in Woking. Mathematically, there is a possibility that Hamilton’s story will be repeated as long as the McLaren leader does not lose the ascending line and the Dutch lion is left off the podium. “I do think that Lando Norris could be, I don’t know if this year or next, the one to end Max Verstappen’s reign. What he has to do is easy to say but difficult to do, because until now he leads him by 52 points and There are several races left in which he has to cut 8 points or more, the issue is that he has to win as many races as he can “I didn’t think Norris could go for the championship, but it is a possibility where McLaren might regret it. in Hungary (where Oscar Piastri won) and in Belgium where they were able to get extra points for Norris and I think they never imagined that Red Bull was going to be so bad,” commented Michel Jourdain, former IndyCar driver.
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