Sky F1’s Martin Brundle has questioned whether Lando Norris has the killer instinct required to challenge Max Verstappen for a Formula 1 World Championship.
Norris has had an impressive 2024 season with McLaren marked by his first three wins in F1 and a consistency at the sharp end of the field that gradually positioned him as a genuine contender for the world title.
Last weekend in Sao Paulo, after qualifying on pole, the Briton saw his race unravel as he lost the lead to George Russell at the start and ultimately finished sixth, while Verstappen surged from a lowly 17th on the grid to take a decisive victory.
This result extended Verstappen’s lead to 62 points, with only 86 points left in the season, rendering Norris’ title chase nearly impossible.
Brundle suggests that the intensity of a championship battle with Verstappen brings a unique set of challenges that Norris is not yet fully equipped to tackle.
However, the McLaren driver’s experience is building with each passing race and close-fought battle.
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“It’s [about improving] everything at the level he’s at,” Brundle told Sky Sports News.
“He’s had some amazing victories and not least in Zandvoort and Singapore where he just ran off and hid, a little bit like Max.
“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."
©McLaren
Another prime concern for Brundle is whether Norris has the aggressive edge that Verstappen brings to racing.
“Sometimes you wonder if he lacks the killer instinct up against Max, who we know can be pretty brutal in combat,” he explained.
Furthermore, with Verstappen’s dominant performances earlier in the season, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Norris to catch up.
"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 added.
“If you add all that up together, Lando needed to take a chunk of points out of Max every single race and hope that there was his teammate and a Ferrari or two, and even a Mercedes or two, between them.
“But one turnaround, like in Brazil, and that little escapade was over by and large unless a lot of bizarre things happen now in the final races.”
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