Lando Norris identified Ferrari as a more formidable challenger than Red Bull, following his McLaren squad’s momentous rise to the pinnacle of the Formula One constructors’ leaderboard, a position they hadn’t occupied in over ten years.
McLaren further distanced themselves by 20 points from the struggling champions, Red Bull, buoyed by Oscar Piastri’s remarkable triumph and Norris’s commendable fourth-place finish in Azerbaijan, starting from 15th position on the grid.
Unfortunately, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz collided with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the second-last lap while vying for third place. Nonetheless, Ferrari ranked second in scoring, with Charles Leclerc coming in second from pole position.
Currently third in the standings, Ferrari now only trails the reigning champions by 31 points, their latest constructors’ title dating back to 2008.
Norris, currently second overall and trailing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 59 points with seven races to go, acknowledged Ferrari as their chief rivals in the upcoming races in Monza, Singapore, and referencing a prior race. He praised Carlos and Charles for their competitive performances, posing a significant challenge lately.
Leclerc secured victory in Monza, despite McLaren controlling the front row of the grid. He then claimed pole position for the fourth consecutive year in Baku.
The next competition is in Singapore, where Sainz emerged victorious last year, and Norris was the runner-up.
“Ferrari’s performances are commendable, and they seem to be our stiffest competition at the moment. So, from a constructors’ perspective, Ferrari is of more concern to us than Red Bull,’’ Norris, a native Briton, voiced.
This season, McLaren has had a surprising resurgence, achieving another noteworthy milestone by returning to the top of a championship they last won in 1998. On the other side, Red Bull, who previously led the standings for 55 races since early 2022, has experienced some setbacks.
The start of this year saw a major shift compared to 2023, causing those in charge of stats to scour past records for similar events. In 2023, Red Bull stole the show by winning 21 out of 22 races, while McLaren – who haven’t held a constructor’s title since 1998 – ended up in fourth place, lagging by 558 points.
However, this season has seen three victories each for McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes – a feat not witnessed since 1977. Seven unique racers have taken the top spot this year, a record not seen since 2012. A highly intense race occurred on the Baku circuit, where three competitors from different teams fought aggressively for the lead in a reminiscent style to old school racing.
Predictions for this year were bleak for Red Bull, suggesting another predictable win. Despite Norris starting the season 48 seconds late in Bahrain and Verstappen securing four wins leaving McLaren trailing by 99 points, the tide turned when Norris secured a win in Miami. Despite no major rule changes, the competition levels balanced out.
McLaren hadn’t been at the top since the 2014 Australian opener when Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button secured surprising second and third places respectively – their sole podiums that year. Despite McLaren acquiring more points than any other team in 2007, they faced disqualification following a spying scandal. Lewis Hamilton’s drivers’ title in 2008 remains their solitary 21st-century accolade.
Norris praised the team saying, “Due to the team’s efforts, we now have a car that can win. If you think back to the beginning of the year, we were behind Mercedes. Now look at us; we’re ahead by a significant margin. It’s an incredible achievement that we’re able to catch up with and outperform Red Bull. Leading the pack in F1 is a source of great pride.” – Reuters
Thomson Reuters 2024 copyright is acknowledged.