Newly crowned F1 world champion Max Verstappen believes he would have won the 2024 title if he had been driving a McLaren, or even a Ferrari instead of his Red Bull RB20.
However, the Dutchman’s bold claim was met with a firm rebuttal from his closest rival, Lando Norris, who believes that Verstappen owes his success this year to Red Bull’s dominance in the early stages of the season.
Verstappen secured five wins in the first seven races of Red Bull’s campaign, but cracks appeared in the bulls’ armor as the year progressed.
McLaren on the other hand, spearheaded by Norris, surged forward in May with upgrades that transformed their car into a title-contender. Ferrari, too, showed flashes of brilliance, while Mercedes occasionally stirred the pot.
Despite the challenges, Verstappen ultimately wrapped up the championship with two races to spare, finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix to seal the deal.
For the four-time world champion, this year’s achievement was not simply a matter of the RB20’s superiority. When asked if he would have prevailed at the wheel of McLaren’s MCL38, Verstappen confidently replied that he would have, and much earlier!
"Yes, even earlier, so [I would have been] further ahead,” he said. “[With the Ferrari], pretty much the same I think. The Mercedes, no. I think that would have been trickier."
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Verstappen also took the opportunity to address his confrontation with McLaren boss Zak Brown during an interview with Sky F1.
After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Brown congratulated Verstappen, but the latter was quick to remind the American of his previous comments suggesting that the Dutchman's past success was solely due to Red Bull’s dominant car.
"You know, things like that only motivate me. When people are critical or think I can only win in the best car, I will prove them wrong," Verstappen said. "If I don't get [that credit] now, then I don't know what I need to do."
Norris, however, was quick to refute Verstappen’s claim. The Briton firmly rejected the idea that his rival could have won this year’s title in a McLaren.
“No, definitely not,” he told The Telegraph. “I mean, no one ever in the history of Formula 1 has come back from the size of deficit I had. No one. Ever.
“And there have been much bigger swings of performance of cars in the past than there has been now.”
Norris found himself 84 points adrift after Silverstone in July but clawed back into contention with stellar wins at Zandvoort and Singapore. Despite McLaren’s improved form, Verstappen’s early-season dominance had created an insurmountable lead.
"The advantage they [Red Bull] had in the beginning of the season over everyone was way more than we’ve had," Norris added.
"I think if it was any other driver, well not any other driver, but if it wasn’t Max and Red Bull, I think the chances [of winning the title] would have been much higher."
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