Well, well, well. Lando Norris went into the Dutch Grand Prix talking about how he hadn’t driven like a world champion this season...and duly produced a champion’s drive.
Pole position by almost four-tenths, lost the lead at the start, regained it on lap 18, never looked back. By the time he took the checkered flag, he was almost 23sec ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen—the biggest margin of victory this season.
It was a performance that banished memories of that bad start in Barcelona, that collision at the Red Bull Ring, that wrong tire choice in Silverstone, and that poor getaway at Spa. And one that left everyone thinking maybe—just maybe—we might get treated to a title fight this year after all.
For oh so long, it’s looked like a one-Bull race. Verstappen won seven of the opening 10 races earlier this year, and even though he’s been winless since June, his sheer brilliance and consistency have meant his championship lead has kept growing even when he’s not had strictly the best car.
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That lead, by the way, now stands at 70 points. It’s a big ask for Lando to reel Max in. If he wins all nine races and three remaining sprints with Max in second, he’ll still fall short...by four points. So, he’d probably need seven fastest laps out of those nine races, too. Doable? Yes. Likely? Not on your nelly.
What he really needs is for everyone else to start beating Verstappen as well. The signs at the weekend were encouraging if you’re a McLaren fan, and not so much if you’re a Verstappenite. The three-time champ was complaining of balance issues throughout the race, and at the flag, even the unfancied Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was only a couple of seconds behind. Oscar Piastri might’ve turned P4 into P2 had he not been undercut by the car in red.
Ordinarily, you’d wonder if the second car might cause some mischief, but Sergio Perez—despite qualifying at the right end of the grid in the Netherlands—still only came home in an anonymous sixth. And even if he were to find himself on his teammate’s gearbox, you’d think Red Bull would have no problem doing what McLaren apparently won’t by imposing team orders to keep him there.
So, crystal balls out ladies and gents of the Internet: Is nine rounds and the fastest car on track enough to catapult Norris into title contention? Or has Verstappen’s early form sewn up title #4 already?
We’ll leave the final word to Formula 1 champion Damon Hill: “Look, I think you should never get ahead of yourself in anything. You can never count on things turning out the way you want them to. Quite a lot can still happen. We’re only just halfway through, so lots of points still out there.
“And that’s the thing that makes this sport exciting: Something suddenly changes, and it can swing either way between now and the end of the season. And whether or not Max wins the championship, there’s going to be a hell of a battle between everyone else and Max between now and the end.”
Bring it on. Predictions below, if you’d be so kind.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
