Lando Norris experienced a strong push toward Max Verstappen throughout the 2024 season, even though he wasn’t initially seen as a title contender in the early rounds. As McLaren’s car gained pace, Norris began challenging at the front, but the growing expectations of a championship run brought added pressure, which led to mistakes during wheel-to-wheel battles with Verstappen.
One of the most notable issues was Norris accumulating the highest number of track limit violations in 2024, with a staggering 30 infractions. Meanwhile, Verstappen, who had fewer challenges with track limits, landed in 12th place on the list with just 17 violations, according to a statistical post on the Formula 1 subreddit. In the second half of the season, Norris relentlessly pushed to reduce Verstappen’s once-dominant championship lead of over 80 points, ultimately trimming it to just 44 points by the time the season ended in Brazil.
However, his relentless drive came at a cost. A significant setback occurred in Austin when Norris, fighting for P3, was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits during a tense maneuver to overtake Verstappen. Despite debates surrounding Verstappen’s role in forcing Norris off-track, it was clear that Verstappen exploited the gray areas of the regulations to avoid penalties, a tactic that cost Norris crucial points in the US GP.
Verstappen, despite facing car handling issues, remained in control and consistently avoided the kinds of penalties that hindered Norris’ title bid. Norris’ McLaren was often the faster car, but Verstappen maximized his performance to maintain a strong points lead.
Norris made key errors that prevented him from closing the gap to Verstappen more effectively. Races in Canada, Spain, Britain, Italy, and the USA were all opportunities where Norris could have challenged for victory, possibly narrowing the championship gap or even taking the lead. However, poor starts, a lack of aggressive on-track moves, and McLaren’s occasional strategic missteps ultimately cost him his first world championship.
As Norris heads into the 2025 season with renewed ambitions, he will need to learn from these mistakes if he is to mount a serious title challenge and avoid repeating the errors that hindered his 2024 campaign
