Column
What quality does Norris lack compared to Verstappen?
It has finally happened: After fighting against each other for some time, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have come together on track. On Lap 64, Verstappen closed a door bit too eagerly, and Norris had nowhere to go on the outside other than leaving the track. While the Briton could be disappointed with Verstappen's defending, it pinpoints an issue with in him in his quest to constantly challenge the current dominant force.
First mistake in over the weekend in Austria
After the sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix, Norris was asked at the press conference if he is getting too frustrated with so many missed opportunities. The sprint race was indeed a difficult one to swallow, where Norris admitted his mistake. After making a move on his rival, Norris left the space open for Verstappen on the inside into Turn 4, and even lost another position to his teammate, Oscar Piastri. Something that cannot happen if Norris aims to become a world champion one day. Especially to open the door like that for a driver like Verstappen, who is capable of sensing weakness. When the Dutchman went head-to-head against Hamilton, there was not an inch left for each other, and the pair often went over the limits. And Norris is not even fighting for a championship realistically at the moment, and earning a second win would mean more than not risking a lot to still get some points in the championship.
What went wrong for Norris during the race?
At the race on Sunday, Norris did miss many opportunities to overtake the Dutchman. Even before the collision, the McLaren driver had many opportunities to pass the struggling Red Bull driver. Verstappen was looking to be weak: a slow stop, he then locked up, and lost seven seconds in nothing. The worst one out of that is once Norris did make a move stick, he instantly let the Dutchman back in front on Lap 59. Unless there is an investigation, there is no need to do that. Especially after that Verstappen bumped Charles Leclerc off in the same corner in 2019 to win that year's Austrian Grand Prix. And in a car that many believe is better than the Red Bull, Norris needed all that just to catch up; before that, Verstappen could easily manage the gap even though he was frustrated with his tyres.
Moreover, another worrying sight is how easy Verstappen took Norris' attacks. Over the team radio, he even laughed with 'GP' about some of the moves, saying their point-of-view about the action: if that's how he tries to complete an overtake, he will get a penalty.
Missing the killer instinct
Back at the Spanish Grand Prix, talking to Viaplay after qualifying, the McLaren driver said: "The few times I've had an opportunity is because he's [Verstappen] like one-second lap quicker. I don't even need to fight him. I just let him go. But tomorrow is a different story. I don't care. I will fight. I'm going for a win and a victory." The first part of the quote is worrying. A driver like Max Verstappen would never not fight anyone because they have a faster car. Not only that, they would do even more to show their quality. He proved that the end of 2021, when Mercedes gave Hamilton a new engine in Brazil. The three-time world champion has a clear mentality - finishing second means you are the first loser. When he was asked about his 100th podium in Saudi Arabia, the Dutchman said: "That’s 88 missed podiums."
In Formula 1, you need three very important qualities to become a champion: a fast car, talent, and consistency. But when you are coming up against a 'mentality monster' like Verstappen, you need that extra bit of action on track and that killer instinct. Norris now needs to develop, but what is more worrying is that he has yet to show signs.