It has been an intense title battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, with the Briton just falling short with two races left in the 2024 season.
Although Verstappen has not always had the fastest car this year, he has made the most of each situation out on track with his consistency.
Norris has made a lot of mistakes this year which has cost him dearly in the championship, while also being embroiled in needless team orders with teammate Oscar Piastri.
Peter Windsor felt Norris looked ‘relieved’ that the title race was over in Qatar, although McLaren is still vying for its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
Former F1 driver John Watson has aimed at Norris amid his errors this season and feels people should stop ‘babying’ him given he is an experienced driver with six seasons under his belt when speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast.
John Watson thinks F1 world should stop ‘babying’ Lando Norris
The 2024 season is Norris’ sixth since he made his debut in 2019 with McLaren, having contested 127 races with the team.
A lot of the excuses this year have been centred around whether McLaren can still win races, however, Watson thinks Norris has yet to prove he is the real deal.
“Stop babying Lando Norris, who I accept is a really fast guy. He’s is exceptionally good in qualifying, he drives the car in a beautiful style,” said Watson.
“He’s got a lovely way of placing a car and getting the maximum out of car. But he isn’t yet the real deal when it comes to being a racer.”
McLaren fight for Constructors’ title with Ferrari
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will see a showdown between McLaren and Ferrari for the Constructors’ Championship, as they attempt to become the first teams other than Red Bull or Mercedes to win it since Brawn in 2009.
McLaren leads Ferrari by 21 points in the table and has so far managed to beat the latter consistently in the last few races.
| Team | Points |
| McLaren | 640 |
| Ferrari | 619 |
| Red Bull | 581 |
The Maranello squad took a sizable chunk out of McLaren’s lead however in Las Vegas, when Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished in third and fourth.
Red Bull is now consigned to third in the Constructors’ Championship having lost out in Qatar due to Sergio Perez’s non points finish, his third in the last four races.
