Surprisingly, McLaren driver Lando Norris is the biggest threat to Max Verstappen and not Sergio Perez. Last year, when Red Bull had the most superior car ever, the only driver who seemed to challenge the Dutch racer was Checo. Not throughout the season, though. It only lasted over the first four races of the last season. The Mexican driver, like the reigning champion, had won two races after the first four. Even Verstappen’s teammate mentioned that he was looking forward to winning the title. But since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, Sergio Perez has become very inconsistent, especially in the qualifying sessions.
He could not win any more races last year. Suddenly, he lost the understanding of and faith in RB19 that he had in the beginning. As a result, Red Bull had a one-two finish in 2023 despite a huge gap between Max Verstappen and Checo. Coming to the ongoing season, the Milton Keynes outfit does not seem to have a strong package like last year. RB20 is good but not as great as its predecessor. Even then, Max has managed to win five races already. Checo is still looking for his first win this year. Lately, Lando Norris cooked the underperforming Sergio Perez.
McLaren Driver Believes They’ve An Advantage Over Red Bull To Win This Year’s Constructor Title
Lando Norris Max Verstappen Source: PlanetF1
Recently, formu1a.uno quoted Lando Norris saying that the partnership between him and Oscar Piastri is this year’s best and strongest driver lineup. Lately, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko mentioned that the McLaren has the strongest driver’s lineup. Norris just agreed with that assessment. Moreover, he said that McLaren’s biggest competition is Ferrari. The British driver says either McLaren or Ferrari will win this year’s constructor’s title. These teams have the best odds because they have “Two drivers who are not making mistakes and getting out pretty much everything they can from their car every single weekend.” Lando emphasized “Two drivers” to poke the underperforming Sergio Perez.
Clearly, Red Bull is a one-man show with Max Verstappen, and that has been the case since 2021 when he won his maiden World Championship. But McLaren has Norris and Piastri performing really well, especially since the Miami GP. Then, the Ferrari duo – Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. has been going really strong. They have won one race each this year so far. On the other hand, Sergio Perez has performed seriously below par in the last couple of races. He started the season with four podiums but then lost his form again like last year. In the Monaco and Canadian GPs, Checo failed to make it to Q2, had DNFs, and finished at P16. Things have been going horribly wrong for him in the last couple of races.
Why Lando Norris And Oscar Piastri Are Looking So Good This Year?
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured a double podium for McLaren in Japan (Getty Images)
Recently, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko mentioned that the McLaren drivers are young and hungry. So far, they seem to get along well and work well for the team. The Woking-based outfit seems to get good results with the two young drivers. However, the difference between the two might be a little too much. Lando Norris is 50 points ahead of Oscar Piastri at the moment.
On the other hand, Ferrari drivers are 30 points away from each other, with Charles Leclerc enjoying the lead over his Spanish teammate. However, Red Bull sees a huge gap between their two drivers once again. Max Verstappen has a massive 87-point lead over Checo. That’s why Marko and Norris believe McLaren has an edge over Red Bull for the constructor title.
