Painful Sunday for Norris: 'Not good when you get beaten up so badly'

"That was an incredible blow to his opponents. Max ended up driving one fastest lap after another. He showed his opponents that he is very much better," former Formula 2 champion Danner told ServusTV. "Besides the masterclass driving, it is also the mental stability that deeply impressed me. While there was a bit of luck involved, the deciding factor was staying cool in the most difficult conditions. And he stayed that way."

The analyst believes the McLaren driver was lucky to get away with a reprimand for pulling away at the aborted start. "He made a mistake just driving away, when everyone should know: only drive away when it is green," he said. "All in all, the weekend in São Paulo was certainly not good for Norris' confidence. It's not good when you get beaten up so badly. He made quite a few mistakes."

Verstappen close to extending his run

Danner knows that Verstappen is very close to winning. "I expected Max to make it from the start, even though he was constantly losing points to Norris. When Verstappen's car was not so good, he just got sixth. You can also put the car in the wall. But Max understood that third or sixth place are also important points in the fight for the title."

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton