Max Verstappen is back in the title race after the Grand Prix of Italy and Azerbaijan. Although the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri is still significant, according to Ralf Schumacher, the recent surge of the Dutchman indeed plays a key role in the fight for the world title. Particularly, Lando Norris benefits from this, says the former Formula 1 driver: ‘He can now take points away.’
Max Verstappen is once again seen as a title contender following his consecutive Grand Prix victories in Italy and Azerbaijan, alongside the two McLaren drivers. However, the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri is still substantial – the Australian has a lead of 69 World Championship points over Verstappen – and Lando Norris is still 44 points ahead of the Dutchman. Although Verstappen has been catching up with both drivers since the Dutch GP, according to Ralf Schumacher, Norris in particular benefits from the world champion’s rise.
“Lando sees the light at the end of the tunnel again,” Schumacher explains in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “Max is back, and can now take points away. That’s very important in this situation. If Lando has a good race, and Max finishes between him and Oscar Piastri, then Lando still has a good chance at the world title.”
Golden Opportunity
According to Schumacher, Norris missed a golden opportunity in Baku when teammate and main title rival Piastri crashed into the barriers in the first round. “Lando could have made much more use of that,” continues the former Formula 1 driver. “He should have been further forward on the starting grid. That’s something he still needs to work on. Nevertheless, he drove a good race, he didn’t take unnecessary risks. Lando was also glad that Oscar made a mistake for once.”
