NORRIS: I WILL ‘CRASH MORE’ WITH VERSTAPPEN.......Read more

Norris Predicts More On-Track Collisions with Verstappen as 2024 F1 Title Fight Heats Up

As the 2024 Formula 1 season intensifies, McLaren’s Lando Norris has forecasted more on-track clashes with reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, as their rivalry for the championship escalates. The McLaren driver, currently second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, is 78 points behind Verstappen, but he’s determined to close the gap in the second half of the season.

Heading into the 2024 season, many predicted another year of dominance for Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team. The Dutch driver had clinched three consecutive championships, and with Red Bull’s history of engineering excellence, expectations were high. However, the RB20 car, while still competitive, has shown vulnerabilities not present in its predecessors, the RB18 and RB19. The RB20’s performance issues, particularly its instability over bumps and kerbs, have prevented Verstappen from maintaining the absolute dominance seen in previous seasons.

Despite these challenges, Verstappen’s exceptional driving skills have kept him at the top of the Drivers’ Standings. But unlike past seasons, he now faces a significant challenge from Lando Norris, whose McLaren team has made strides in car performance, making them the fastest across various track types leading into the summer break.

Norris has experienced both triumph and frustration this season. He secured his maiden Formula 1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix, an achievement that showcased his potential to challenge Verstappen consistently. However, the season has also been marked by missed opportunities due to poor race starts and questionable strategy decisions by the McLaren team.

A critical moment came during the Austrian Grand Prix, where Norris was in contention for another victory. In the closing stages of the race, while attempting to overtake Verstappen, the two drivers collided. The incident forced Norris to retire, while Verstappen managed to salvage a fifth-place finish. The collision led to a public fallout, with Norris expressing his disappointment in Verstappen and stating that he had “lost a lot of respect” for the Dutchman.

In a recent interview with RacingNews365, Norris acknowledged the likelihood of future on-track incidents with Verstappen as their rivalry continues. “I expect to crash more in the future with different people, with Max,” Norris said. “Not because it’s an expectation of I expect to crash with them – it’s just those scenarios and circumstances always happen. With another five or 10 years in F1, you’re going to have those situations at some point.”

Despite the tension on track, Norris emphasized that his relationship with Verstappen remains intact off the circuit. He described the unique mentality required to separate personal relationships from the fierce competition on race days. “It’s a different life. It’s a different mentality. I don’t even use the same brain here versus what I’m thinking during the race when I got my helmet on,” Norris explained. “I couldn’t care less if I played padel with someone last week or went out for dinner with someone. It doesn’t change what I want to do on track, which is to win. If anything, it makes you want to beat them more, rather than less.”

Norris’s comments underscore the intensity of Formula 1 competition, where friendships often take a backseat to the pursuit of victory. As the season progresses, fans can expect the rivalry between Norris and Verstappen to become even more heated, with potential clashes that could be pivotal in deciding the 2024 World Championship.

For now, Lando Norris remains focused on closing the points gap to Verstappen, fully aware that the road to his first championship might be paved with more on-track confrontations with the defending champion. Whether these incidents will derail his title ambitions or fuel an even fiercer drive to win remains to be seen.