Formula 1 Special: Norris vs Verstappen – the Story of an Unlikely Title Battle

Seven different winners, thrilling races, a title fight and plenty of moments up and down the field have kept fans engrossed in the action.

The unlikely title fight between two friends is the main reason behind this upturn in fan excitement. After winning 19 of 2023's 22 races, Max Verstappen entered the 2024 season expecting an easy run to a fourth consecutive Drivers Championship.

But despite winning four of the opening five races, Verstappen has been challenged for the title by Lando Norris. The Brit took advantage of Red Bull's drop in performance to win three times, putting him within range of the Dutchman and McLaren for their first Constructors Championship since 1998.

The start of F1's Americas tour coincides with the business end of the season when one mistake or reliability issue could turn the championship battle upside down.

With this in mind, autoevolution looks back at the season and how it should play out.

Verstappen dominates while Red Bull implodes

Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Before a wheel was turned in 2024, many felt Verstappen had to pull out of the garage, and the championship was wrapped up in a bow.

However, a crisis swept the reigning Constructors Champions just days before Red Bull's RB20 launched when a female employee complained about team boss Christian Horner's conduct. The Brit's future became a public talking point, and although he was present for pre-season testing in Bahrain, doubts still lingered as to whether he would be on the pit wall for the race.

Meanwhile, at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, hopes were high going into 2024 after a great second half to 2023, where Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri ruffled Verstappen's feathers several times. With lessons learned from a difficult start to 2023, they hoped to take the fight to Red Bull and win a few races.

During testing, Red Bull remained at the front, with Verstappen the class of the field. McLaren was locked in a three-way fight with Ferrari and Mercedes for best of the rest.

Before race day, speculation centred around whether Horner would arrive in the paddock. Sure enough, arm in arm with popstar wife Geri Halliwell, he confirmed to the wider world that his position and marriage were safe for now. Victory was never in doubt for Verstappen, who led home teammate Sergio Perez to complete a Red Bull 1-2.

Horner's future was again in the spotlight in Saudi Arabia as he fought for his F1 life and fended off attacks from Jos Verstappen. He could relax on race day though as Verstappen led home Perez to make it back-to-back 1-2s for Red Bull.

In Australia, things weren't so rosy. A brake issue put Verstappen out early, paving the way for Carlos Sainz, who missed Saudi Arabia because of appendicitis, to win his first race of 2024. Charles Leclerc made it a Ferrari 1-2, with Norris picking up McLaren's first podium of the year with third.

Normal service was resumed in Japan as Verstappen blitzed the field to lead home yet another Red Bull 1-2.

F1's first weekend in China since 2019 was a Sprint one, leaving teams in the dark about where they stood in Shanghai. Although Norris secured the Sprint pole, the Brit made a mess of the start and fell to sixth as Verstappen won again before doing the double in the race.

Norris split the two Red Bulls by finishing second, but as the F1 paddock slowly returned to Europe, Verstappen seemingly already had one hand on the title.

Norris finally becomes a winner

Photo: McLaren Racing Media Centre

When the F1 charabanc rolled into Miami, there was more off-track news at Red Bull. Legendary designer Adrian Newey, whose cars had paved the way for the team's run of success, announced he would leave the team at the end of 2024, eventually signing for Aston Martin in what would be a major loss for the reigning Constructors Champions.

Nevertheless, Verstappen looked on course for a clean sweep of the Miami meeting after taking the Sprint when Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant collided on Lap 27, deploying the safety car.

Norris, who had been leading when the incident occurred, pitted, gaining a free pitstop over Verstappen, suffering from a tyre offset and damaged floor after running over a bollard. When the safety car peeled in on Lap 32, the Brit pulled clear and took a popular maiden F1 win on his 110th attempt.

Two weeks later, upon F1's return to Europe at Imola, Verstappen and Norris duelled for victory in a slow-burner race, with the Dutchman doing just enough to win.

Neither championship contender could strike a blow in Monaco, with Norris fourth and Verstappen as the home hero. Leclerc became the first Monegasque to win his home race.

The sport's annual visit to Montreal saw Mercedes join the fight. George Russell and Max Verstappen produced identical lap times in Qualifying, with the Brit taking the pole because he set it first.

Rain on race day spiced up proceedings, but the result remained familiar, with Verstappen pulling up to the number one spot in parc ferme and Norris into the number two.

Spain was a replica of Imola, with Verstappen having to use every ounce of his talent to fend off Norris to take a well-fought victory. The pair battled again in Austria, but after exhibiting some erratic driving, the inevitable happened, and they collided on Lap 64.

Verstappen received a puncture and a ten-second time penalty for his part in the incident but soldiered on to finish fifth, while Norris retired because of collision damage. Amidst all the drama, Russell inherited the lead and ended Mercedes' two-year win drought with an unlikely second victory.

Advantage McLaren with Red Bull all at sea

Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Heading into Silverstone for a soggy British GP, Verstappen was public enemy number one in the eyes of a British crowd who wanted to see a home victory.

Mercedes raised those hopes by carrying their Austria form into Qualifying, locking out the front row with Russell ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. Title rivals Norris and Verstappen shared row two. Mixed conditions made for one of the season's best races, with the McLarens and Mercedes battling for victory as teams looked for the right window to change tyres.

With Russell retiring because of a water leak and Piastri staying out one lap too long, the fight for victory was between Hamilton, Norris, and Verstappen.

Norris overshot his pit box when making his final stop, and the switch to mediums proved to be the wrong choice. Verstappen quickly reeled in the McLaren, taking second, and set off after Hamilton.

But the laps ran out, giving Hamilton his first win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. Verstappen was second, and Norris a devasted third.

Although he clawed vital points back, Verstappen endured a torrid race in Hungary. He ranted repeatedly at the Red Bull pit wall over the team's strategy before being sent airborne late after colliding with Hamilton, dropping him to fifth. McLaren got into a pickle when a poor strategy call put Piastri behind Norris, with the pit wall having to intervene and order the Brit to let his teammate through.

Norris let his teammate through in the closing stages, earning the Australian his maiden F1 win, albeit in unusual circumstances.

At Spa, a circuit that Verstappen excels at, the Dutchman took provisional pole but dropped to 11th for the race after incurring a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change. Mercedes finished 1-2 on the road, with Russell taking another win from Hamilton before later being disqualified for a technical infringement. This promoted Verstappen to fourth and Norris to fifth in the final classification.

Norris silences his doubters as Red Bull gets clever

Photo: McLaren Racing Media Centre

As F1 headed into the summer shutdown, Red Bull was again in the spotlight. There had been an expectation they would refresh its lineup for August's Dutch GP. Perez had been struggling for results since his podium in Shanghai, enduring several weekends which saw him wind up in the barrier, costing the team valuable points and money.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull's former team leader, looked set to replace him, but the team suddenly U-turned and kept Perez for at least the second half of 2024.

Zandvoort on the Dutch coast and Verstappen's lively band of supporters known as the 'Orange Army' welcomed F1 back with a bang and a cloud of orange. But they, too, would be overwhelmed by a stormcloud of papaya as Norris produced a masterful performance, taking pole by just under half a second before overcoming a poor start to take a crucial win.

Monza saw McLaren hold the aces again with Norris back on pole, but again, the Brit's opening lap form came under scrutiny as he lost the lead to Piastri, who went outside of his teammate into the Roggia. To make matters worse, Leclerc steamed up the inside of the McLaren at the first of the Lesmos, dropping the Brit to third by the completion of Lap 1.

Ferrari and McLaren went opposite directions for the race strategies, with Leclerc on a one-stopper and Piastri a two-stopper. Despite not being the easiest to execute, the Monagasque made it work and sent the Tifosi into euphoria with victory ahead of Piastri and Norris while Verstappen limped home in sixth.

Verstappen struggled in Baku, finishing a woeful fifth after struggling all weekend with the RB20. To add insult to injury, Norris, who started 14th after being knocked out in Q1, passed him to finish fourth as Piastri took his second win.

There were no such issues for Norris in Singapore. He dominated the weekend from start to finish, securing win number three from Verstappen and Piastri. He was denied a grand slam as Ricciardo took the fastest lap on Lap 60 of his last race for RB before trudging home to 18th.

Ricciardo's early Christmas present ensured Verstappen's 52-point lead over Norris. Leclerc is 86 points behind the Dutchman and needs a miracle to beat them both.

Conclusion: Verstappen should have enough in hand to claim fourth title

Verstappen never likes settling for second, but with Red Bull not even the second-fastest car on some weekends, he will need to play the long game.

Norris is on a winning streak, and with the McLaren virtually bulletproof this season, he has the momentum and the equipment under him to erase that deficit.

It also seems that the concerns surrounding his starts and poor opening laps are distant memories. His confidence appears to be on the up, a far cry from his defeats in Silverstone and Monza.

But count out Verstappen at your peril. Although he has had momentary lapses of concentration in his driving, it can't be denied that Red Bull would be nowhere without the Dutchman. He is their secret ingredient and continues to prove to his critics that he can win and perform even without the fastest machine.

These factors and his early season form will help secure Verstappen the title, albeit not by a massive margin, as Norris will throw the kitchen sink at the Dutchman. As for the Constructors Championship, barring a catastrophic collapse and an even less likely turnaround in form for Perez, McLaren should at least wrap up the team's title.