Is there a World Cup? That’s the big question every F1 fan is asking after the massive success of Lando Norris against Max Verstappen with the amazing McLaren on F1 Dutch GP 2024. And that question was answered by Carlos Sainz for Mundo Deportivo when he spoke to the Spanish press after the race of Zandvoort.
The Dutchman had balance problems with his car throughout the weekend and was seen struggling. He juggled his car to be 2nd in qualifying and in the race, a miracle. But he could not defend himself against a Norris who removed his stickers in the straight with an ease not seen in a long time against Max. Verstappen seemed to see the world heavyweight champion with his hands and feet tied, still winning the blows, but fell by KO against a McLaren that was a rocket.
So, Verstappen compiled his fifth straight race without a win, something that hasn’t happened since 2020. And Lando Norris He made it clear in his performance that McLaren, with its new evolutions, is one step ahead of Red Bull and should be a strong favorite on most tracks, perhaps with the exception of Monza and Singapore because they are tracks with very specific characteristics.
In this context, Carlos Sainz identified the consistency of Max Verstappen as his main strength to take advantage of his current cushion of 70 points in the World Championship with 9 races remaining to achieve his fourth crown against Norris. But he sent a clear warning to Verstappen: he cannot afford to make mistakes.
“If Max starts to fail…”
“Obviously if Max continues in second or third place, I think it’s worth winning, because at some point McLaren will fail too”Sainz argued with MD at Zandvoort.
“The truth is also true that if Max starts to fail, it could get complicated,” he added. “And we all know that, as has been shown many times, the moment someone is put under pressure, everything starts to fail.”he continued.
“Verstappen and Red Bull seemed unbeatable a year ago, and now that McLaren has arrived, they are gone. It shows that you have to be there, put everyone under pressure, and then all the teams and driver is always lost somewhere. “So the only thing you have to do is there.”he finished.
Lando Norris is there, but he needs to find consistency in winning which is new to him. It will not fail. He has the best car on the grid, but his rival is a Max Verstappen, someone who, despite not having the fastest car, manages to maximize his results with his hands. In that fight it could be key if Verstappen either Norris they did some zero or even penalties for engine changes, something that should worry Verstappen even more. There might be a fight.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
