Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei

After losing out on his second Grand Prix win to Max Verstappen at the 2024 Emilia Romagna GP, McLaren’s Lando Norris had remarked that a lap or two more would have allowed him to beat the Dutchman to the chequered flag. The gap between the duo as the race concluded was only 0.7 seconds. But, according to BBC’s Andrew Benson, Norris could not have passed Verstappen at any rate.

Speaking on the BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag podcast, Benson explained, “I don’t actually agree with Norris. [Oscar] Piastri spent twenty laps behind a Ferrari that he was much quicker than in the first stint and couldn’t get past.”

The Imola circuit is notorious for being difficult to overtake. The strip of tarmac is narrow and the profile of the circuit makes it very difficult for cars to pass, even if they have a clear pace advantage. Even Red Bull’s Sergio Perez complained how his race was ruined owing to Imola’s inherent nature and track profile. Hence, being on pole was key for Verstappen.

Benson even went on to say that Norris couldn’t have passed the three-time world champion even if they ran another 63 laps of the race. McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella even called Verstappen “lucky” to be on pole, after receiving some help from Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, as per GPBlog.com.

Is Red Bull ready to be dethroned by McLaren?

The Emilia Romagna GP could be a season-defining race. Even though Max Verstappen secured the fifth win of his season and extended his lead in the driver’s championship, the signs were ominous for the Dutchman and his team.

Red Bull have become used to winning by a large margin. But their dominance seems to have come to an end. At the 2024 Miami GP, Lando Norris grabbed his maiden F1 win.

He did take advantage of a Safety Car to jump Verstappen to the lead. However, from there onwards he pulled a seven-second gap to the #1 driver. Something no one has done in the ground-effects era.

During the Grand Prix on Sunday, Verstappen did not look in complete control of the race. He pulled a gap to Norris during the opening stint of the race. But, after the pit stops, Norris neutralized the gap to around six seconds.

Then, the last ten laps of the race saw the #4 driver eat away into the Dutchman’s lead rapidly, who seemed to be struggling with rear degradation. Despite being on five laps older tires than Verstappen, Norris cut the gap down to just 0.7 seconds, but Verstappen took the chequered flag to win the race.