F1 News
Brundle says Norris "lacks the killer instinct" to challege Verstappen
Martin Brundle believes that Lando Norris "lacks the killer instinct" against Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship after a disastrous Brazilian Grand Prix. In a Grand Prix weekend where the McLaren driver looked set to close the gap to the Dutchman in the title battle, the opposite happened, with Verstappen excelling brilliantly, while Norris struggled tremendously.
Norris started on pole at Interlagos, while Verstappen was all the way back in P17, giving the Brit a perfect opportunity to close the gap right down for the final three races of the season. However, a poor start meant George Russell got ahead, and while he could not get through at all, Verstappen already made his way up into the points on the first lap, and he did not look back.
A good call by the Red Bull pit wall, and a poor choice by McLaren to bring Norris in before the race was red-flagged, meant Verstappen overtook during the stops, and out at the front, he stretched a lead out to over 13 seconds, while Norris faded and struggled to control his car in the conditions, with mistakes resulting in a P6 finish, all but ending his championship hopes.
Norris' 'lack of experience' shows up at the wrong time
Norris said that it was "lucky" that Verstappen managed to get past during the red flag stoppage, but Brundle, while speaking to Sky Sports News, said that if Norris watches the race back, he will change his opinion: "I think he will because Max was in a class of one. Those conditions suit his talent level. The McLaren wasn't the fastest car in the rain, which was a bit surprising because they looked so good in qualifying in wet conditions."
Brundle continued on by saying that Norris himself was lucky that he did not have to face Verstappen in Q3: "Max got unlucky with the red flag in qualifying but he stayed out on track in the race and expected a Safety Car or a red-flag situation. So he knew what to do and then he just steamed off and won by 19 seconds at a canter really, it was a classic drive."
For Norris, Bundle believes that there are still a lot of improvements pending for the 24-year-old: "It's [about improving] everything at the level he's at. He's had some amazing victories, not least in Zandvoort and Singapore where he just ran off and hid, a little bit like Max [in Brazil]. But he lacks the experience of challenging for a world championship, and I think that's a whole new set of challenges and rules - and that's what he will learn from this year."
So does Norris have what it takes to become a champion in the cut-throat world of Formula 1? "Sometimes you wonder if he lacks the killer instinct up against Max, who we know can be pretty brutal in combat. But I think Lando will learn a lot from this season, and Max winning seven of the first 10 races pretty much put him out of reach really," Brundle concluded.
This article was created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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