Bernie Collins has revealed what he believes is the “biggest thing” that has cost Lando Norris his title bid against Max Verstappen.
Norris’ hopes of a first drivers’ championship ended on Sunday as Verstappen won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th in the standings, while the Briton dropped from pole position to finish sixth.
The result saw Red Bull’s Verstappen extend his lead over Norris to 62 points, with just 86 points remaining in the three rounds remaining, meaning it will take some extraordinary circumstances to give the McLaren driver any real hope of victory.
Despite looking like he had a car capable of winning almost every race since McLaren’s improved sixth round of the season in Miami, Norris has managed just three wins in 16 grands prix.
The latest missed opportunity came on Sunday at Interlagos, where a questionable call to pit in a wet field allowed Verstappen to grab a running position.
Speaking of the latest episode of the show Sky Sports F1 PodcastAston Martin’s former head of strategy, Collins, said: “The biggest thing for me is the indecisiveness or lack of trust between the driver and the pit wall, which has puzzled some decisions at certain points of the year.
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Take a look at what went wrong for Lando Norris that cost him victory at the chaotic São Paulo Grand Prix.
“They will work on it and every year the relationship will improve, next year he will be more confident.
“The starts seem to be better, maybe not clearly this week with Russell off the grid, but McLaren will look at it again, it’s very different in the wet.
“So it will come, he’ll need a lot of time to think about the winter.”
Listen to the latest episode in full to hear Bernie Collins and Karun Chandhok analyze Max Verstappen’s shock win and Alpine’s stunning double podium. Subscribe now: Apple Podcasts: |: Spotify: |: Loudspeaker
Chandhok. The title fight in Brazil has not been lost
While Norris arguably had the most consistent car on the grid since Miami, at that point he had already given Verstappen a significant lead.
The Dutchman, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive drivers’ title, has won four of the first five races of the season to open up a 52-point lead over Norris.
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Karun Chandhok debates whether Max Verstappen is the best driver of all time after his incredible performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in wet conditions.
Sky Sports F1 Karun Chandhok believes Norris was never “realistically” going to close the deficit.
“I realistically think they can be proud of the season he’s had,” Chandhok said. Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“The championship fight has not lost in Brazil on Sunday, it has lost the first five races.
“If you turn the clock back to the opening five races of the season, that’s where Verstappen really got this big advantage. Very reminiscent of what we saw from Jenson Button back in 2009.
“Overall, they can be happy with the season they’ve had, they can be happy with the points they’ve scored, but when you start 52 points behind Miami, that’s where the championship was lost, not on Sunday. in Brazil”.
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