The 2024 Formula 1 season was marked by speculation over whether anyone could challenge Max Verstappen as he aimed for his fourth championship title.
Throughout the year, two drivers emerged as the most likely candidates to take on Verstappen: Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen displayed exceptional form throughout the season, with a standout performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where he won from 17th on the grid. This victory helped him secure the championship in Las Vegas, leaving Norris and Leclerc to battle for second place in the Drivers’ Championship heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. David Coulthard praised Charles Leclerc’s performance in Abu Dhabi, describing his recovery from P19 to third as flawless, though it wasn’t enough to surpass Norris. Norris led from start to finish in Abu Dhabi, helping McLaren secure the Constructors’ title.
Ultimately, Norris finished 18 points ahead of Leclerc. Despite this, both drivers remained optimistic about their chances of claiming their first championship in 2025, with the expectation that Red Bull might not have the same advantage going into the next season.
A statistic shared on Formula 1’s official Instagram account sparked a divide among fans. Charles Leclerc’s supporters began to argue that he was the stronger driver after comparing the points tally between the two competitors over the course of the 2024 season.
The post illustrated how the points were distributed across three segments of the season—early, mid, and late. To provide context, Max Verstappen scored 169, 134, and 134 points respectively in each third of the campaign.
Up until the Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc had outscored Norris 138 to 133. However, from the Canadian Grand Prix through to Monza, Lando Norris gained the upper hand, outscoring Leclerc 128 to 79. In the final eight races of the season, Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Norris by six points (139-133), leading many of his fans to argue that he was the stronger of the two drivers.
One fan pointed out that the statistic put into perspective how Norris’s supposed “title fight” with Verstappen never materialized. Another fan emphasized that, at no point during the last eight races did Norris score more points than Max Verstappen. Some fans even suggested that the Monegasque driver might have been a championship contender had it not been for five races where the car’s performance dropped off. One fan noted that, over the last eight races, Charles Leclerc had outperformed the Dutchman, calling him “clearly better than Norris in a good car.”
Further comments reflected on where things went wrong for the Monegasque driver, with fans mentioning how his performance might have been better if not for a difficult three-race stretch after Canada, or if he had performed better in the middle part of the season.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, both Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are expected to see the next campaign as their best chance to compete for the championship against Max Verstappen. With Red Bull unlikely to make significant improvements over the winter, both Ferrari and McLaren are expected to have competitive cars in 2025.
However, before they can challenge Max Verstappen, both drivers will need to overcome internal team battles. Lando Norris, who had the support of teammate Oscar Piastri this season, will face a tougher challenge next year as Oscar Piastri is unlikely to yield positions to him. For the Ferrari driver, his toughest challenge will come in the form of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, a task that could prove even more difficult than any internal competition he faces from teammate Carlos Sainz.
If both Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris manage to conquer these obstacles, a head-to-head championship battle between the two could be in the cards. However, with Max Verstappen’s dominance in the sport, it’s impossible to rule him out of any title fight.
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