September 20th 2024.
Lando Norris may be trailing Max Verstappen by 59 points with seven races remaining, but according to British F1 legend Nigel Mansell, it all comes down to one unfortunate mistake that has had a significant impact on the title race. As the championship enters its final stages, Mansell has made his prediction for the outcome.
Despite Red Bull losing their status as the team with the fastest car, McLaren now leads the constructors' standings after a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Norris, who had never won a race before May, made an impressive recovery from 15th on the grid to finish fourth, while Verstappen came in fifth. This has set the stage for a nail-biting finale, with Norris still in the running for the title.
Mansell, speaking exclusively to The Agency via Top Offshore Sportsbooks, is confident that the 24-year-old can pull off a miraculous comeback and join him on the esteemed list of British F1 champions. "Well, anything can happen. The season's not over until you cross the finish line on the last race," the 1992 world champion stated.
McLaren's climb to the top of the constructors' championship is a testament to their exceptional performance this season. Mansell also pointed out Norris' bad luck in Baku, where he faced an unfortunate situation during qualifying that was out of his and the team's control. However, Norris' determination shone through as he bounced back in the race and finished in a respectable fourth place, which could have been sixth if not for the collision between Red Bull and Ferrari on the second to last lap.
With the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, Mansell believes that Red Bull may struggle to be competitive, giving McLaren and Ferrari a chance to shine. He also noted that Verstappen's reliability record may work against him, as one retirement or issue could give Norris the opportunity to close the gap.
Looking back at the season, Norris and McLaren could have potentially accumulated more points if not for some missed opportunities in races like Imola, Canada, Spain, Austria, Silverstone, Hungary, Italy, and Azerbaijan. While some of these can be attributed to driver error, Mansell acknowledged that Norris' crash with Verstappen in Austria, while battling for the lead, was a mistake from the McLaren driver.
"The other thing that is very unfortunate, Lando just made that mistake of trying to overtake Verstappen on the outside in Austria," Mansell commented. "Because you can't overtake a several-time world champion on the outside. And that race was his to win, and he could be even closer now."
In that race, Verstappen went on to finish fifth and gained 10 points despite being penalized for causing the collision, while Norris was forced to retire with crash damage. If the incident had not occurred and Norris had claimed victory, the gap in the championship would have been a maximum of 42 points, making it a much closer race.
As the season progresses, it remains to be seen how pivotal that crash will prove to be in the title race. But one thing is for sure, Norris and McLaren will continue to fight until the very end, and anything can happen in the world of F1.
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