NEW DELHI: Method 1 racing with out rivalry is certain to get boring, merely due to the character of the game the place one driver or group retains dominating. That’s precisely what Max Verstappen did in his Crimson Bull in 2022 and 2023 after an epic title showdown with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. However 2024 obtained a recent whiff of air with Britain’s Lando Norris offering a stiff problem to Verstappen, earlier than the Dutchman ultimately clinched his fourth drivers’ title with McLaren clinching their first constructors’ title since 1998.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen throughout testing (REUTERS)
This season, nevertheless, at the very least for the preliminary section it seems like it would go in the way in which of Norris after McLaren emerged because the quickest automotive at pre-season check in Bahrain final month with Crimson Bull struggling a number of points on the Sakhir Worldwide Circuit.
“Definitely Lando (is the favourite this season) as Mclaren seems to have made a really strong card. They continue on how they went last year. If you just look at their season and how they progressed, they kept making steps forward. And Lando was the only driver in the field that could step up to Max. That was on it every race,” former world champion Jacques Villeneuve mentioned over a video name from Melbourne the place the brand new season begins this weekend.
“So, if he’s still in the same mindset, then the season should start strong. But then Ferrari will move forward with Lewis there helping the team. So, we’ll have to see halfway through the season how it pans out. But the favourite right now is Lando and McLaren.”
Remembered for beating the legendary Michael Schumacher to the 1997 F1 title in a controversial end, the 53-year-old Villeneuve, who’s the final driver to win the championship with Williams, added that Norris didn’t budge on monitor, even when Verstappen was pushing the boundaries all through final season.
“Lando did the right thing last year. He didn’t move. They ended up clashing in Austria. He paid a hefty price, stronger than Max did. But ultimately, he showed Max that he wasn’t going to move, that he was in there to fight. He showed that he would be there fighting, not that he would give up,” mentioned the Canadian, who raced in F1 from 1996 to 2006, in a name facilitated by OTT platform FanCode.
Whereas the title combat will possible see Norris and Verstappen combat it out once more on the entrance of the grid, the one group who can disrupt the get together is Ferrari, who additionally confirmed they’ve the potential to take action on the finish of final season in addition to within the pre-season check.
As well as, the game’s most celebrated group has signed F1’s most profitable driver Lewis Hamilton which has been making waves within the motorsport world ever because the seven-time world champion turned up in purple overalls final month.
Will Hamilton ship at Ferrari? Can he go the place nobody has gone and win an eighth championship? Can he fulfil his childhood dream of profitable with the Scuderia are questions which can be ready to be answered.
“Lewis knows how to cement his position inside a team. He got cut out when (George) Russell joined (Mercedes). He had become a little bit complacent with all the easy years with (Valtteri) Bottas. And he didn’t see it coming. But he goes into Ferrari knowing that it’s Leclerc’s team and he needs to become the team leader. I think he will be brutal in that aspect,” mentioned Villeneuve, son of Ferrari nice Gilles Villeneuve.
“He knows how to win. He knows how to move a team forward. It will be interesting because Ferrari is not an easy team. There’s a lot of pressure from the fans, from the team. It’s a very energetic place, but not an easy place to evolve in. And Leclerc knows it really well. For Ferrari, it’s a win-win situation. If they win with Lewis, bingo, amazing! If Leclerc beats Lewis, then they manage to create a star out of Leclerc. So right now, I guess they’re just waiting to see what will happen.”