Lando Norris’s title hopes ended in Brazil following another messy Sunday afternoon. Starting on pole with rival Max Verstappen in 17th, there was an opportunity for Norris to further dent Verstappen’s 44-point lead. Instead, Verstappen dominated and Norris faltered, finishing a disappointing sixth, unable to make progress while the Red Bull driver advanced serenely through the field in the Interlagos rain.

A couple of off-track moments were costly for Norris, especially at the race restart. McLaren said the issue was with the car and not the driver cracking under pressure, but this was another missed opportunity however you look at it. The unfortunate timing of the Virtual Safety Car period ending and subsequent red flag did play a part in Norris’s finishing position, but a promising weekend turning painful summed up much of his season.

There is a lot for the team and driver to be pleased about in 2024. Five wins is McLaren’s most since 2012. They should still win their first constructors’ championship since 1998, as they lead Ferrari by 36 points. Yet a sense of disappointment over Norris’s efforts should linger in the coming months. It certainly highlights where improvements are required if they want to challenge in 2025.

McLaren have had the best all-round car since Miami but it is too much to say that Norris should be leading Verstappen by now. Firstly, Verstappen was 52 points ahead of Norris before the race in Florida. Secondly, Norris has had to fight for points with not just Verstappen’s Red Bull but the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc and – for a brief period – Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at Mercedes. But Norris should have pushed Verstappen harder by now.

Let us look at the facts. From Miami onwards, Verstappen has scored 283 points to Norris’s 273 with Leclerc and Oscar Piastri on 231 and 224 respectively.  The reason for that gap increasing despite McLaren having the better package is because Verstappen has, mostly, taken his chances while Norris has not. Verstappen has been rightly criticised for his driving recently, but he should also be praised for putting himself in this strong position, despite numerous difficulties on and off track.

Leaking points through costly opening laps

Where have Norris’s biggest weaknesses been? Not in qualifying, as he has destroyed team-mate Piastri 21-5 this year, taking seven poles in the last 12 races. It is on Sundays where he has frequently come up short.

Norris’s opening laps have cost him plenty of points this year. In Spain when on pole he lost out to Verstappen and Russell at turn one. In Hungary he might have avoided the bungled team orders mess had he kept the lead and clean air off the line rather than dropping three places in two corners. In Belgium he lost several positions at turn one by running into the gravel, eventually finishing fifth.

Too often has Norris left the door open to a driver behind in the early exchanges. We saw it in Austin two weeks ago against Verstappen and again with Russell at Interlagos on Sunday. It also happened at Monza, when Piastri and then Leclerc passed him on the opening lap. From those seven poles have come just two victories. That is a clear underachievement, regardless of what has been happening in the championship.

In Norris’s defence, it is not like he has thrown away several big points hauls, his collision with Verstappen in Austria aside. Since Miami, his worst finish before Brazil was fifth. In that came three victories, five second places and two thirds. That is a consistent and impressive run, but it has not been enough to put Verstappen’s championship into serious doubt, with too many points left on the track.

These are all instances of fine margins, but in a closely fought season (especially when trying to reduce a deficit) there is little leeway. The opportunities were there – in the 10 races between Verstappen’s victories in Spain and Sao Paulo, he finished on the podium just three times.

McLaren’s strategy backfires with muddled communication

McLaren too have been found wanting operationally and strategically. Sunday’s decision to pit Norris under the VSC ended up ruining his race but the team were not to know they would lose track position and the fresh tyre advantage to Verstappen and the Alpines. It was unfortunate.

Still, there have been several other instances where the processes and communication on the pit wall have been muddled. It took McLaren a race or two too long to realise that Norris had a shot at beating Verstappen. The team declining to swap their drivers on the final lap at Monza, gaining Norris three points, was a prime example.

In some ways Norris’s championship has been a less extreme version of 2017 and 2018 when Hamilton came back to defeat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Vettel’s and Ferrari’s errors were greater than Norris’s and McLaren’s, though. They were also more costly, as the German led until 13 rounds into the season in 2017 and until 11 rounds in 2018. Norris has never had that luxury, but who knows what 2025 will bring?

Norris must develop relentless mentality

The chances are that Norris will start next season with a race-winning car that can challenge for the championship. Ferrari and Red Bull will also likely be in contention. That makes it even more critical that Norris improves his racing from this year, as we should expect team-mate Piastri to take another step up in his third year in F1. A fight inside as well as outside the team is not what he needs, but it may be what he gets.

Norris has never before been in a car this competitive. The season’s highlights should be celebrated, but the low ones can be instructive too, as the team seek to win not just races but championships. There will be plenty learned from their year at the top, where the stakes and scrutiny are both greater.  To produce a race-winning car is difficult, for a driver to deliver on that multiple times is harder still. Hardest of all, though, is the relentless quality that is needed to win titles. Norris is not quite there yet.

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