On Sunday, Sept. 22, F1 driver Lando Norris picked up his third win of the season, bringing him closer to Max Verstappen’s seven total wins in the 2024 season. The two drivers have been fierce rivals since Norris was signed into F1 with McLaren in 2019, becoming the young prodigy’s main competitor.
Verstappen has been a dominant driver in the F1 world since he started his career in 2013. However, his passion for racing began when he was just a toddler. According to Red Bull Racing’s Biography of Verstappen, he “first took the wheel of a go-kart, aged four,” and quickly moved up to racing in FIA European Formula 3.
In August 2014, Verstappen signed with Red Bull Racing, kicking off his F1 career. At his debut in Spain, he qualified fourth and drove an impressive race, picking up 25 points when he crossed the finish line. Between then and 2021, Verstappen racked up nine more victories. In 2021, Verstappen was awarded the World Driver’s Championship.
Simultaneously, a threat was building his F1 career with McLaren. Lando Norris was also gaining popularity as a rising star in the F1 world. According to McLaren F1 Racing, he started at the age of seven and quickly acquired several world-karting trophies and titles.
After his success in karting and junior racing, Norris signed with McLaren F1 in 2019. Not long after, Norris began to have great success in the sport as a consistent and promising racer.
Now, Norris is approaching Verstappen and his record. So far this season, both Verstappen and Norris are tied for podiums, both landing on the leaderboard 11 times. Norris is second in driver standings behind Verstappen, last season he finished sixth with Verstappen again on top. However, Verstappen still has Norris beat in terms of victories, with Verstappen packing seven and Norris only three.
So the question remains: Who will finish on top? Max Verstappen or Lando Norris? Ryan Spilman, a Sage Creek freshman and avid F1 follower, is unsure if Norris will be able to pull it off.
“It would be tough for Norris to catch up to Verstappen’s seven wins by the end of the season given that there are only a handful of opportunities for Norris to gain on Verstappen,” Spillman said.
In the last couple of seasons, Red Bull Racing has held an edge with the design of their F1 cars. New regulations in 2022, a focus on ground effect aerodynamics, and an improved ability to manage temperatures have put Red Bull’s cars, the RB19 and RB20, a step ahead of their competitors.
Spillman also stressed the importance of a strong car for success in F1. “The car has a huge effect on the team’s performance. A couple of seasons ago you had Mercedes with the best car and they dominated the podiums,” he said. “And yes they had a great driver as well, but it takes a great driver and a great car to win championships.”
With the next season’s race on Nov. 23 in Las Vegas and only a handful after that, Norris’s chances of being number one are getting slim. If Norris can pull off just four more wins this season he would tie with Max Verstappen, giving him a chance to be on top this season. Until then, F1 fans can only wait for the season’s end on Dec. 8 and the final season podium it brings.
