Lando Norris identified as most 'consistent challenger' to Max Verstappen by Red Bull ahead of Austrian GP (2024)

Lando Norris has “emerged from the pack” as the most “consistent challenger” to Max Verstappen with Red Bull expecting the McLaren driver to remain a big threat to them at their home Austrian GP this weekend.

Verstappen and Norris have finished in the top two positions at five of the past six grands prix.

Although the reigning champion has won five of those races to Norris' one, the McLaren driver finished on the Red Bull driver's tail at Imola, Montreal and, last Sunday, Barcelona to suggest he could still yet prove a genuine title threat to Verstappen over the 14 races that remain in the record-length 2024 season.

• Max Verstappen 'would look good in silver' says Mercedes chief
• When to watch Austrian GP Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports
• Stream every F1 race with NOW Sports Month Membership
• Get Sky Sports F1 | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

Norris' latest runner-up finish in Spain moved him ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc into a career-best second place in the Drivers' Championship, with the 24-year-old trailing Verstappen by 69 points.

And reflecting on his driver's narrow two-second victory over Norris at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: "If Lando would have had track position it would have been difficult to beat them.

"It was so close between the two of them and they were 18 seconds ahead of the rest.

"I would say that Lando has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger."

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Horner added: "We've had four pole winners in the last four races. It's very, very tight.

"But Lando I would say, he seems to have worked out these tyres, McLaren have done a great job as well, and they're going to push us hard for the rest of the year."

Norris, who won his maiden grand prix at the start of May at the Miami GP, has now finished second 10 times in races - nine times as runner-up to Verstappen - since McLaren introduced their transformative car upgrade at last year's Austrian GP.

A lap of the Red Bull Ring takes little over 60 seconds to complete and Horner said ahead of this weekend's Sprint event: "On such a short lap, it's going to be so tight and we expect McLaren and Lando to be fast again.

"Ferrari and Mercedes? Who knows. If you look at the gap to those guys after the race it was pretty similar to last year. The one who has stepped up is Lando."

Indeed, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff - whose improving team finished third and fourth at Barcelona ahead of the Ferraris - acknowledged that Red Bull and McLaren currently are a step ahead of the field.

"The McLaren was very quick [in Spain]. How quick, I don't know, I think Max always has a little bit in the pocket and you see that makes that difference," said Wolff.

"But definitely there's not a lot at the moment between these two and they are definitely setting the benchmark."

Is Norris a genuine title threat to Verstappen?

Although Norris' championship deficit to Verstappen has grown by 13 points in the last two races despite McLaren having chances to win both - with the Dutchman now enjoying a season-high lead at the top of the standings of those 69 points - that could yet change quickly if the McLaren driver is able to convert his car's ever-growing pace into a run of wins given how many points remain up for grabs this season (396).

This weekend's Sprint event in Austria alone, which features a 100km race on the Saturday in addition Sunday's main grand prix, offers an additional eight points compared with the majority of events.

Asked about his title chances after Spain, Norris said: "We should have got some points back on Max. Potentially, there was a chance to beat him in Canada. So two races that I finished second and he's won

"But Max needs to stop winning in order to achieve that. Yeah, even though I moved into second in the championship, that doesn't matter. I couldn't care if I was second or 10th.

"It's more about the gap to what Max is and he's still extending it at the minute and that's something we can't afford to do or can't afford to kind of let him run away with it at this point of the season.

"But we can do. You know, if I just made some better decisions in Canada and if I had a better start [on Sunday], we could have won two races. And I know there's a lot of, and there kind of always has been a lot of 'shoulda, woulda, couldas', but we have what it takes. It's just about putting it all together."

'Red Bull know where to improve'

Norris won a thrilling qualifying duel with Verstappen to claim just his second career pole position in Spain but then almost immediately lost that advantage at the start of the race when he dropped from first to third behind his victory rival and a fast-starting George Russell at the first corner.

Having lost crucial track position, McLaren then extended Norris' first two stints compared with the Red Bull with the Englishman coming back at Verstappen on pace on each occasion on fresher tyres after his pit stops before effectively running out of laps to attempt an overtake at the end of the race.

"McLaren certainly look fast at the end of stints, which is something we've seen at a couple of races now," noted Horner.

"So their degradation seems to be good. But that's a little bit offset by the strategy and the overlap in the tyre life.

"We had enough to get the job done and it's the seventh victory of our 10 races. Four of them have been very hard but, again, the team are working at a level that we're still delivering the pit stops, strategy etc but Max again demonstrated why he's the world champion - at the key, key moments he delivers."

Horner added: "He's fantastic under pressure, he's always been fantastic. Last year was a unicorn year, now it's a more normal year. It's not normal to win all the races, all of the time, and we're having to fight very, very hard for them and Max is making the key difference.

"But we know where we need to improve. We are getting a better understanding of where our strengths and weaknesses are and we are doing enough at the moment to keep growing that championship lead."

Sky Sports F1's live Austrian GP schedule

Thursday June 27
12.30pm: Drivers' Press Conference

Friday June 28
7.50am: F3 Practice
9am: F2 Practice
11am: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am)
12.55pm: F3 Qualifying
1.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3pm: Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 3.30pm)*

Saturday June 29
8.25am: F3 Sprint
10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)*
12.25pm: F2 Sprint
2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted's Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1's triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week - with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday's big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime