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How can Lando Norris win the 2024 F1 championship against Max Verstappen after Singapore GP triumph?

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated Sep 22, 2024 1:51 PM ET

Max Verstappen has won the past three F1 world championships. However, McLaren’s Lando Norris emerged as a real contender for the title this season. Now, with Norris’ third win of the season in Singapore, the fight is closer than ever.

Heading into the Singapore GP, Verstappen had a lead of 59 points to Norris. The British driver put up a stellar performance and won the race by a gap of 20 seconds to his title rival. Although, Lando Norris lost out on the bonus point for the fastest lap after Daniel Ricciardo’s incredible last lap.

As such, Max Verstappen leaves Marina Bay after losing seven points to Norris, with the points deficit now standing at 52. With just six races to go in 2024, both drivers need to perform every weekend to keep their hopes alive. One must note that the two drivers are not the only ones still in contention for the title after the Marina Bay race.

How does the F1 championship table look like after Singapore GP?

Following the Singapore GP, Max Verstappen has 331 points with Lando Norris in second at 279. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes up the third spot with 245 points. While Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri stands fourth at 237 points.

Only the top 4 drivers are mathematically still in the hunt for the title. However, it must be noted that Charles Leclerc or Oscar Piastri would need to rely on a lot of good luck to even come close to winning the title season. Leclerc trails Max Verstappen by 86 points while Piastri is a staggering 94 points behind the championship leader. This puts Lando Norris as the only driver with a real shot at defeating Max Verstappen.

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	331
2	Lando Norris	McLaren	279
3	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari	245
4	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	237
5	Carlos Sainz	Scuderia Ferrari	190
6	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	174
7	George Russell	Mercedes	155
8	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	144
9	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	62
10	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	24

The Top 10 drivers in the F1 championship standings after Singapore GP

What does Lando Norris need to do to win 2024 title?

Looking at the one-on-one fight between Norris and Verstappen, out of the six remaining rounds, two races, Brazil and Qatar are sprint weekends. This in turn allows for a maximum of 172 points up for grabs, which includes the fastest lap bonus point. Subsequently, Max Verstappen’s points lead puts him in a great position against Lando Norris.

If Lando Norris manages to win the last six races, including the sprints as well as getting the fastest lap, he would score 172 points. However, if Max Verstappen manages to finish second in all races and the two sprints, it would be enough for the Dutch driver to bring home his fourth F1 championship in a row.

This puts Norris in much more pressure than the reigning world champion. The McLaren star not only needs to do his best at every round of the season, but hope that Verstappen has a few poor stints in-between. A single DNF for Max Verstappen can make Lando Norris the favorite for the F1 title. On the other hand, the Briton cannot afford any mistakes in the remaining six races.

Certainly, fans would be thrilled to witness a close title fight in the last six races of the 2024 season. Lando Norris and McLaren will be pushing themselves to the limit to defeat Max Verstappen for the F1 championship. It remains to be seen how things pan out in the coming weeks.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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