After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what stood out to him, what went well, and what needs to change? This time: The bizarre twist in the title fight, Max Verstappen‘s chances, McLaren’s eternal dilemma, and who dares to bet?
Incredible and bizarre! I can’t think of other words to describe it, nobody anticipated this scenario. Due to the double qualification of McLaren – from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – the title fight has suddenly reopened since the GP of Las Vegas. In fact, I think Max might just pull it off, becoming world champion for the fifth time. I dare to believe in it again. I’ve always said: the gap is too big, something crazy needs to happen. Well, that crazy thing has now happened.
Let’s start at the beginning, the start of the GP of Las Vegas. Lando Norris steered his car inside to stop Max. He did it quite aggressively. Max was already somewhat in between, so he essentially had the momentum. However, Norris anticipated well and cut him off a bit. That’s part of racing and Max would have done the same in reverse. With the understanding that he would have braked in time for turn 1. Norris didn’t do that, which is just stupid, a classic driver’s mistake. You can call it a small mistake, as he didn’t brake too late, but it was a mistake that was very decisive for the rest of the race. Because all of a sudden, he was in third place. If he hadn’t lost his lead, Norris could have easily won the race. Of course, in hindsight, it wouldn’t have mattered due to the disqualification afterwards, but still.
‘Car Height is Everything in F1’
Let’s also take a moment to consider the double disqualification. The cause was the thickness of the skid blocks. It seems that the McLarens previously used skid blocks made of a certain material that expands with heat. This gave them more support from the skids and allowed them to drive a bit lower. And car height is everything in Formula 1, that’s where you get so much downforce from. Those skid blocks had to be replaced starting from Las Vegas. This meant that McLaren was going to demand more from the plank, but how much more? Such a thing is hard to determine.
At McLaren, they were aware of the situation, as Norris was asked to ‘lift off the throttle’ during the final stages of the race. Initially, no one understood why. He was instructed to slow down because they had a problem, so the message went. But of course, McLaren couldn’t openly announce over the radio that he needed to conserve the car. What likely happened is that McLaren didn’t adjust the car’s height sufficiently. They didn’t want to be too conservative, as that would cost too much time. And in making that decision, a costly calculation error was made. Therefore, the car will need to be raised slightly for the remaining races.
The disqualification and loss of points in the title race, naturally, has a significant psychological impact. It affects everyone involved, but especially Lando Norris. Personally, I find it fantastic. Because now, McLaren is genuinely nervous, if they weren’t already. From now on, it’s the real deal. You have to deliver three perfect races to become world champion. This applies to Max, but also to Norris and Piastri.
‘Nothing has changed for Max’
Look, in essence, nothing has changed for Max. He still has the same mindset and thinks: ‘Everything I gain is a bonus’. He is the hunter and he handles that very relaxed. McLaren sees this and now they have everything to lose. The pressure is increasing, although Max still has to overcome a 24-point gap, let’s not forget that.
If McLaren were smart, which they are not, they would now put all their money on Norris. Then you tell Piastri: ‘Sorry mate, but this is not your year. We have one man who is still 24 points ahead, that’s Lando and we’re going all in for him’. That’s what they should do if they still want to become champions, but they won’t. That’s typical McLaren. Long live the Papaya rules, until the bitter end.
Max is ready to take everything away, so they should anticipate that. For example, by strategically deploying Piastri in the remaining races. But Piastri is also 24 points behind Norris and would still like to take his chance. And his manager Mark Webber, we’ve heard him in the background more than once saying that he doesn’t always agree with McLaren’s approach.
Regardless, it’s going to be a sensational end to this season. And as I said, I’m already putting my money on Max. Who dares to bet against me?
