Lando Norris pushed Max Verstappen to the limit in 2024. Although the Dutchman has won more races, Norris did a commendable job of keeping up with him and closing the gap at The leading position in the Championship Rankings is down to 81 points. With this in mind, former Haas director Guenther Steiner feels Norris can end Verstappen’s dominance in the sport.

“Lando is getting closer,” Steiner shared on The Red Flags podcast.

After winning his first F1 race at Miami earlier this year, Norris made it clear he was coming to win the title. With McLaren’s MCL38, arguably the fastest car on the track right now, Norris is proving that it’s more than just empty talk.

The Bristol-born driver has declared himself a genuine title contender at the 2024 Austrian GP. His battle for the lead with Verstappen ended in a crash that took him out of the race , but he showed Verstappen that he will also stay close to him in the upcoming races.

Steiner also agreed with the fact that Verstappen knows he won’t have it easy throughout the rest of the year, which is why he had to resort to his strong defensive moves against Norris in Austria. “It’s not just Lando,” he said. “Also, [Oscar] Piastri could also take away some points from Max, you know.”

According to Steiner, Verstappen must work harder than usual if he wants to maintain his throne this season.

The incident on the 64th lap at the Austrian GP between Verstappen and Norris has become a hotly debated topic in the build-up to this weekend’s British GP. The supervisors said Verstappen was “mainly” at fault. However, Steiner felt differently.

When asked about his opinion on the incident, he placed the entire blame on both drivers.

“They were both at fault, but they were racing. They went a little too far. But none of them gave up, you know,” Steiner emphasized.

After the incident, people raised questions about the fate of this couple’s friendship. However, Red Bull Team Director Christian Horner has stated that the two have spoken and everything has been resolved.