'Passive Norris would be "easily overtaken" by Verstappen without red flag'
Christian Klien believes that a "passive" Lando Norris would have been "easily overtaken" by a brilliant Max Verstappen at the Brazilian Grand Prix, even without a red flag. Last Sunday, the Dutchman made a statement at Interlagos during the Grand Prix, all but sealing a fourth consecutive drivers title in Formula 1.
Before the Grand Prix in Sao Paulo got underway, Verstappen started in P17 while Norris lined up on pole position, looking likely to cut the gap to the Dutchman and set up a thrilling championship battle with three races remaining. However, a sublime drive from the Red Bull driver, mastering the treacherous conditions at Interlagos, meant he took victory by almost 20 seconds, while a fading Norris could only muster a P6 finish.
It's a story that has continued throughout the championship and one that will ultimately cost Norris the world championship. Eight pole positions have been taken by the McLaren driver, but only two of them have been converted into race wins, with the 24-year-old not taking advantage of the superior pace of the McLaren.
"Passive" Norris made to pay in Brazil
"Under such conditions, the wheat is separated from the chaff among the drivers. Norris was often the fastest man until the race, he did everything right in the last qualifying session. Max's seventeenth starting place was a huge opportunity for Lando to make up a lot of points on the world champion. In the race, however, he was just too passive."
After the race, Norris claimed that Verstappen was "lucky" with the red flag which meant the Dutchman earned a free pit stop and easily passed the Brit. However, Klien thinks the Red Bull driver would have taken victory anyway: "Max proved that when it's wet, he can beat anyone, even with an inferior car. It was sensational to see how faultless he drove, just bizarre. I maintain that with the pace Max had, he could have easily overtaken Lando even without the race being stopped.
"Lando didn't have the speed that day to fight back against Max. He made another mistake in Turn 1 shortly after the start and Russell took over the lead as a result. As someone who wants to win the world title, that just shouldn't happen. We have seen a couple of times now that Norris fails to cash in on his pole position.
Klien concluded by talking about Norris' struggles at the start: "That is also due to positioning, i.e. how he puts his car down before the first corner. Mistakes are quick in Formula 1, we know that. But they happen less often with the outstanding drivers. And that's real talent that sets them apart from the others."
This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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Norris himself said Verstappen would have passed him even without the safety car.
Agreed! But we'll never know for sure...and we dont need to! Norris pitten while he shouldn't have and that was it!
Lando team cant read a race and lando cant .he wanted to box early on so he could over take russell .both russell abd land boxed as the vsc car was ending .then when red flag came out he was winging that the other teams could change for fresh tyers .then lando gose off track .so if max was lucky so was lando in sprint and quily .but lando dont see how great max was in the race .max from p17 to p1 and lando p1 backwards
When you look at the average speed Max was able to put over a lap, 0.4s faster than anyone while in traffic and 0.7s faster while he lead the race. He was the quickest at intermediate 2 where he got some overtakes done. The Redflag was key to have him leapfrog Lando and Russell and few other cars , would he have won without the Redflag, without the advantage of the new ICE .
Why so salty? There's currently no one on the grid who could have pulled off that legendary drive even with the red flag. He would have won it even without the red flag since Norris and Russell were all over the place and delta was only 12 seconds.
Veg is br0ken!..... Even 44-7 nowhere to be seen can't even work out how Max was so brilliant..
This is what Vegan wrote right after the race: Vegan Warrior 3,4k Max Verstappen delivered an absolute masterclass out there! His driving was impeccable—flawless well done ? And what the same Vegan said about an hour later: Vegan Warrior 3,4k My thoughts around Max as well. "Spicy engine" really was the deciding factor for me. So good driver but not amazing ,in my opinion. Just to show how serious Vegans comments should be taken. ?
www.instagram.com/reel/DB9FJO_swGx/?igsh=MTVubnFhaXFycnU4cw%3D%3D good summary
Even the toxic Brits on Sky and F1TV didn't use the new ICE as an excuse as to why Max won. You have trumped them. Bravo!
You already figured out the "factor": Vegan Warrior 3,4k Max Verstappen delivered an absolute masterclass out there! His driving was impeccable—flawless well done ?
The Redflag was key to have him leapfrog Lando and Russell and few other cars , would he have won without the Redflag, without the advantage of the new ICE . Would he have lost if there was no Redflag and him still driving with the old ICE?
Probably, in my view . That 0.7 and O.4 in traffic wouldn't have been their so no.
Very difficult to call. It is like other sports. Would the All Blacks have won the world cup if they kicked there penalties over, or if the disallowed try stood? The problem is that if the try stood, then the whole complex of the game would have changed. No 5m scrum but a kick off at the halfway mark. Penalty missed, kick off from the 15m line. Penalty over then kick off on the 50m line. Would the Springboks have played differently if they were behind? I am sure they would have, but who knows? So it is a difficult one for me to call if Max would have won or lost regarding the red flag and ICE. A million different scenarios could have played out if that was the case with the red flag not happening. Sorry I referenced a rugby match to get my point across. I could have used cricket or something else lol.
When you want to have a proper discussion I will be here ? bye for now .
Thanks for Max for being the best on Sunday!? Coke + Ice + Checker flag Absolutely ?
VER might not have won, we will never know. But NOR would not have won either. NOR even said that he would most likely ended up behind VER without the red flag. So maybe you should have a little talk with NOR ?
Absolutely ?, without that beneficial Redflag + Rain + New ICE , would Max have won, I have my opinion as ? no
Ok here is one for you. If Max did not crash out at Silverstone 2021. Would Lewis still have won the race? You probably think so. Others don't think so. Funny thing is that no one will ever know. You can assume, but that will not hold up in court. Change 1 thing of a race and there can be a million different outcomes.
I don't get the rugby anology at all, it's like saying if Max took laxatives before he raced would he sh*it after lap 5 or lap 10 . We have data and data shows Max had significant speed at intermediate 2 where he got most of his overtakes done. And the Redflag allowed him to leapfrog cars that could have challenged him. So it's was a great performance but he had all these factors that played a significant part , why is it so hard for folks to acknowledge this?
Wrong as usual. Yawn, just another attempt at minimizing the greatest performance in decades. Vegan fails to realize that his futile attempts are backfiring big time.
Thats your incorrect view and opinion, i was giving context to a standout performance isn’t “minimizing” it—it’s just taking a deeper look at what factors came into play. Recognizing how different things like the new ICE, unpredictable weather, or other strategic calls impacted the outcome doesn’t take away from Max’s skill; it just helps explain the full story. Nothing here is “backfiring.” Acknowledging all aspects just shows an appreciation for F1 as a sport that’s as much about team strategy and equipment as it is about a driver’s skill.
Max could of gone into the pits and change his tyres and still come out in 2nd! And catch Ocon and pass him and be 1st again....No luck there! And if Max started from pole he would of lapped Norris...
Max was on a mission and he still would over taken lando if no red flag .lando messed up coming in pits as vsc ended
Max was 0.4s faster than anyone while in traffic and 0.7s faster while he lead the race. He would have won this race no matter what. Norris was delusional and a sore loser when he said that it was just luck. It's funny how he said this about Hamilton - “He’s in a car that should win every race, basically. He has to beat one or two other drivers, that’s it.” and he had the best car by far since Miami and still managed to lose points to Verstappen (who drove the 3rd, sometimes 4th car) and win fewer races than him.
It's was right after the race when Lando made his "he was lucky" comment. Lando obviously was tremendously disappointed with the way the race went. Under those circumstances, I wouldn't blame him for that "lucky" comment.
Thats very true, it was mostly frustration I reckon and I think he felt silly about it not much later
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