“He d*cked around on the podium”: Lando Norris not on same level as Max Verstappen, says Adrian Newey’s manager

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan expressed his doubts over Lando Norris becoming the world champion under the current circumstances. He believes that the driver should have brought himself to victory more times than he did in the current F1 season.

McLaren managed to create the fastest car on the track directly challenging Red Bull, who were losing their dominance at the top. While they did manage to take the lead in the Constructors' Championship rather easily, their Drivers' Championship contender driver Lando Norris faced a lot more work to get ahead of Max Verstappen in the standings.

He scored pole positions and won multiple races, however, it was accompanied by a series of small mistakes. These mistakes such as a slow start to the race hindered his chance of winning multiple times.

Owing to these facts, Eddie Jordan, who works as Adrian Newey's manager, claimed that Norris "hasn’t quite got there yet." Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, he said there is a clear difference between him and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

"Lando hasn't quite got there yet. He hasn't got there on the start; he hasn't gotten there on the pole position to run to the corner," claimed Jordan. "He has the speed, beyond any doubt, he’s got the speed. But there’s nothing in me that tells me that I’ve seen in Lando, something that I saw what Max could do on Sunday. Nothing. I’m sorry, it’s just not there." [8:25 onwards]

Jordan further said that Lando Norris has had rather weak race starts and should have won more races than he did.

"He d*cked around on the podium. He’s d*cked around on the start line. Honestly, how many races should he have won this year?" Jordan added. [9:25]

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Lando Norris could lose the title race in Las Vegas as Max Verstappen prepares for fourth title

Max Verstappen has been the dominating force in F1 in the past three years. He is currently chasing his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship, and although Red Bull seem far from winning the title this year, the Dutchman has carried himself well this season.

Although the gap between the two was closing down, the Brazilian Grand Prix witnessed a significant drive from Verstappen, who moved from P17 on the grid to win the race. This has given him a 62-point lead in the standings.

Heading into Las Vegas, the circumstances are quite clear for Verstappen to clinch the title. If he manages to win the Grand Prix, he will be crowned the world champion. Even if he does not win the race, Lando Norris will require a three-point lead in the race in order to prevent the title from being decided in Sin City.

The situation seems rather straightforward for Verstappen; winning will guarantee him the Championship. With 86 points remaining to grab for the drivers in the remaining races of the season, Norris would have to push extremely hard, outscoring Verstappen by a large margin in all the races to have a shot at the title.