Norris almost jeopardized Verstappen’s victory

Max Verstappen has won yet another Grand Prix this season. Starting in pole position, the Dutch driver was not overtaken and didn’t have much to defend against. He finished ahead of Lando Norris, just like in Saturday’s sprint. Red Bull seemed to have to roll up their sleeves, though.

Verstappen once again had a solid weekend. Double victory (sprint and race), pole position for Sunday, and the 2nd fastest time in Q3 of the sprint. Only Lando Norris managed not to be left behind.

A Sunday less simple than the others

Despite the victory, Red Bull seemed slightly concerned about the threat of Lando Norris. This year, tire degradation in Brazil was particularly significant. Mercedes especially suffered from it. In this regard, the drivers had to manage their tires in order to avoid having to make a pit stop due to a plummeting pace.

Christian Horner stated after the race that Sunday’s Grand Prix was not as straightforward as the others. Max Verstappen even received some contradictory information. “There was definitely a race,” declared the director of the Austrian team. “Lando took his best tires at the start, and his best opportunity was probably in the early moments. I was relieved to see Max hold onto the lead at the end of the first lap. After that, it became a game of cat and mouse. We had to take care of the tires and not push them too hard. You tell the driver to take care of the tires, but also to build a gap, and the slipstream here is quite powerful. But just like in the sprint race, Max managed it incredibly well and increased the gap. We then made a pit stop on the same lap as Lando, and we effectively extended the gap during the stop, to just over five seconds. Then, with the medium tires, he had everything under control in the final stint. Ultimately, it was quite straightforward, but McLaren has certainly been our closest competitor in the last few races.”

Verstappen felt the threat

Lando Norris had two opportunities in the early laps. The McLaren driver was close enough to Verstappen, but the areas in these situations were tricky to overtake. Moreover, the Dutchman managed to close the door before making his escape.

(D) Maybe it may seem totally easy from the outside, but I think for most of each stint, Lando was following me,” explained the triple World Champion. (D) It was always in the last five to ten laps of each stint where it seemed like we had better tire degradation. But yes, at the beginning of each stint, I definitely had to focus a lot and couldn’t afford to make mistakes. And here, with high tire degradation, it’s not the easiest thing to drive. It’s not like you can just relax and let the car slide through the corners without consequences. You really had to be focused. Luckily, everything we did today, including the strategy and pit stops, was good. (F)

A changing competition

Red Bull has had several contenders this season. Aston Martin seemed to be the closest team during the first Grand Prix. However, after a few races, Mercedes managed to make a strong comeback and establish themselves as the second strongest force on the grid. Since the beginning of the second part of the season, it is McLaren that has made a remarkable comeback. Along with the German team, they seem to be the two closest teams to the Austrian garage.

“We had several competitors throughout the year,” said Christian Horner. “I think we continue to focus on ourselves, and it doesn’t matter who is behind us in the rankings, it’s almost insignificant. As long as we are in the lead, that’s what we’re focused on.”

McLaren holds the 4th place in the Constructor Championship with 282 points.