Lando Norris reckons it is ‘stupid’ to talk about winning the world championship, which is either a case of trying to kid himself or of not appreciating recent history.
If it’s the latter, he may care to have a word with Lewis Hamilton.
That’s because an encouraging parallel of sorts to what might be unfolding between Norris, the dominant winner in Holland on Sunday, and Max Verstappen, the once untouchable leader, came in 2007, when Hamilton was unfurling the most dazzling debut season Formula One has known.
The British sensation headed Kimi Raikkonen by a massive 17 points going into the final two rounds. There was a maximum of 20 on offer, under the old scoring system.
Despite facing an equation as steep as the Eiger, the Finn won the concluding rounds in China and in Brazil, bagging the full quota of points while Hamilton scraped just two. Raikkonen was champion by a margin of one.
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Lando Norris won the Dutch GP on Sunday to close the gap to overall leader Max Verstappen
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Norris has disregarded talk of catching Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the championship race as ‘stupid’
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Norris starred in Verstappen’s home GP to beat the Red Bull star at Zandvoort race track
Yes, you can say that Hamilton was the victim of unique circumstances: McLaren were in a total mess, torn asunder by both the Spygate scandal and acrimony bordering on hatred between Fernando Alonso and boss Ron Dennis.
Hamilton, too, was raw in a way Verstappen isn’t; he and Alonso were taking points off each other as Sergio Perez hasn’t managed against Verstappen; and astonishingly Hamilton crashed on his way into the pits in the penultimate race.
For all that, Norris’s task is less demanding than Raikkonen’s then. For one, there are nine races and 258 points left to address a deficit of 70, the equivalent to about 25 under the previous system. Bonus points for fastest lap and two sprint races, in Austin and Qatar, make the road to run yet longer again.
Another advantage, never granted Raikkonen, is the sheer supremacy of Norris’s car. He won by 23 seconds in Zandvoort, a bigger gap between first and second than in any race by any driver this season.
If the McLaren was the machine to beat for several weeks, a major upgrade at the weekend – the team’s first leap of this magnitude since Norris scored his maiden win in Miami two months ago – put it on another plane.
Verstappen could do no more than claim runners-up spot to limit the damage. In brackets, Norris’s task would be aided if his team-mate Oscar Piastri could insinuate himself ahead of Verstappen.
While Norris was conducting his wide-smiling post-race interviews, Red Bull boss Christian Horner sat on the first floor of their Energy Station clutching A4 papers that told the story of the race. ‘If it was like that at the next nine races, then, yes, it would be very difficult for Max to win the championship,’ he admitted.
‘We’re lucky that McLaren underperformed in the early part of the year, and we’ve got a buffer, but that can diminish quickly. The McLaren has been the benchmark car over the last few races.
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Lewis Hamilton blew a huge lead in the final two races of the 2007 season (above)
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Hamilton was beaten by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen (left) to the title in 2007
‘There are no silver bullets in this business. It’s a matter of understanding the problem, addressing it, and then implementing fixes.’
Their ability, or otherwise, to do this in a timely manner brings us to another echo of 2007, when McLaren were in illicit receipt of 780 pages of Ferrari technical secrets. That’s because Red Bull have spent a large part of the season in turmoil of their own.
Although Horner was exonerated of improper behaviour towards a female employee, the lava scorched a trail through the factory.
For example, what would Red Bull give now for the expertise of Adrian Newey, Formula One’s most revered designer ever? The team argue his departure was not directly linked to the Horner scandal, but the manner and timing of his exit was undeniably abrupt.
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Verstappen (right) and Christian Horner (left) have endured a difficult period during Norris’ recent rise at McLaren
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Norris can look to capitalise on Red Bull’s struggles to pile the pressure on Verstappen
Whatever the case, how can he not be missed if one close observer I spoke to is to be believed when he said after Sunday’s race: ‘They know they have to do something to raise the game, but they don’t know what.’
Verstappen’s future is uncertain in the wake of the scandal, with his father Jos keen that the triple world champion move on. Mercedes are favourites to land his signature for 2026 and channels between the Verstappen camp and Toto Wolff remain open, though Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton next year. Confirmation of that is expected this week.
Horner, who has kept his calm through the biggest turbulence of his life, summed up the state of the championship accurately when he said: ‘It’s remarkable that was only Lando’s second win in that car. But he is driving well, he’s finding confidence, and the pressure is on us to respond.’
So, no matter what Lando says, talk of him for the title is not entirely misplaced.
