The Brazilian GP might just have been the final nail in Lando Norris’ coffin in terms of the drivers’ championship. Former driver Johnny Herbert believes now the Briton cannot catch Max Verstappen this season, but thinks he is ready to go again next season.
After claiming pole position on Sunday morning, the afternoon was not as successful for Lando Norris in the rain at Interlagos. After losing the lead to George Russell on Lap 1, getting jumped by Verstappen during the red flag and making two mistakes on the two restarts, the Briton finished in P6.
“Lando has had to play catch up and that is very difficult to do. He has been chipping away at Max’s lead but the points lead now means the title is out of reach unless Max has a dreadful run of bad luck which won’t happen,” Johnny Herbert told Safest Betting Sites about where things stand for the Briton in the championship.
He continued: “Lando has to take the positives of what has happened this year. He has driven so well, got poles and improved massively. He has a great chance of starting next year very strongly and if he can capitalise on that as Max did this year, then who knows what could happen. He will keep on learning. We haven’t seen the best of Lando yet nor for that matter Max.”
In Las Vegas already, Verstappen could mathematically win his fourth title, as a driver could earn a maximum 84 points in total during the rest of the year, and the current gap between the two drivers stands at 63.
‘Norris ready for 2025’
According to the Briton, having to catch up after Red Bull began to struggle in the current season is not the main reason why McLaren and Norris missed out on the title. “McLaren and Lando missed out on seven points in Hungary because they let Piastri win and it’s those things they need to be conscious of going into next season. Will they lose the championship this year, no because they were always on catch-up. They could have got more points, but that is racing.”
Therefore, Herbert believes Norris will be ready to challenge the Dutchman again next year. “McLaren will learn for next year and have a stronger mindset. Lando will go into 2025 knowing he can beat Max. There are others too, such as Oscar and George who are only going to get stronger.”
