Opinion At Formula 1, it’s best car versus best driver
Verstappen’s ability to win races despite being in average machinery, to complete overtakes in the tiniest of margins, and shave crucial milliseconds off his qualifying laps has him fighting for a championship in which he had ruled himself out by the summer.
The superiority of McLaren’s machinery is such that they had wrapped up the team constructor’s title two months ago, and their drivers have routinely won Grand Prix by over half a second. The Formula One world championship battle goes into a thrilling finale at this weekend’s season-concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. McLaren’s Lando Norris, the championship leader, is ahead of Red Bull’s four-time reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, by 12 points. Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri, is lurking four points behind Verstappen. A third-place finish would seal the title for Norris, no matter what the other results are, but anything lower could leave the door open for an unpredictable photo finish for motorsport’s most coveted title. The prospect may allude to this being an exciting, closely-fought season, but the truth is far from it.
The superiority of McLaren’s machinery is such that they had wrapped up the team constructor’s title two months ago, and their drivers have routinely won Grand Prix by over half a second. That they have not yet won the driver’s title is testament to the fact that getting the car right is only half the job done. Modern F1 is a team sport — the best vehicle also needs a team that never errs in strategies. Had McLaren not let their drivers down with questionable tactics, Norris would already have been champion.
Verstappen’s ability to win races despite being in average machinery, to complete overtakes in the tiniest of margins, and shave crucial milliseconds off his qualifying laps has him fighting for a championship in which he had ruled himself out by the summer. He may not be the favourite to emerge victorious on Sunday. But a fifth successive driver’s title, making him only the second in F1 history to do so after Michael Schumacher, will be as much a credit to his talent as it will be to McLaren’s error.
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