Leo Turini, a famous Italian journalist, commenting on the results of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, aptly recalled an ancient Latin proverb, which also appears in Virgil’s Aeneid, written more than 2,000 years ago…
It seems to me that Ferrari can still win the championship. But I have my doubts about Lando Norris.
I understand I’m at risk of being branded a master of platitudes, but I better say this straight away: on Ayrton’s home track, Max Verstappen won Senna-style. Or Michael Schumacher, if the example of the German Ferrari driver is closer to you and you prefer to keep him in mind.
And everything else is just details.
It’s the ability to win from the penultimate row on a water-filled track, despite all the safety cars and red flags, and avoid accidents, that separates true champions from just good racers. That’s the difference between Max and Lando Norris.
Such breeds leave a vivid mark on the collective memory. But the Dutchman was almost sucked into the black hole of an almost inevitable defeat after qualifying failure, while the McLaren team reaffirmed his excellent form.
And yet Max continued to believe in it. I don’t know, but maybe he was the only one who believed. Perhaps fate itself gave him a helping hand in the midst of all this crazy Brazilian bad weather, but even the ancient Romans said: Audentis Fortuna iuvat, i.e. “Fortune favors the brave.”
Super Max has not won a race since June, Red Bull is rocked by unprecedented internal arguments and Verstappen’s colleague Sergio Perez performs as if he owns a three-wheeler instead of a Formula 1 car. But in Sao Paulo the three-time world champion showed us all a true masterpiece, and it becomes clear who the truly great racer is here. With all due respect to Lando Norris.
Now about Ferrari. The Scuderia failed to achieve success for the third time in a row. In extremely bad weather the SF-24 was not fast enough. Furthermore, Carlos Sainz added negativity, adding to the overall list of accidents that could have been avoided. But at least Charles Leclerc managed it.
Mathematically, however, the situation in the constructors’ championship has hardly changed. Because the car did not perform well, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was not even a weekend full of missed opportunities. But now Ferrari has time to catch its breath, because the race in Las Vegas only starts on Saturday evening, November 23, while in Europe it is already Sunday morning.
The team must gather its thoughts and make the final technological leap of the season. Of course I understand that this is extremely difficult. But nothing is impossible, especially because Formula 1 suddenly became unpredictable again. And this is best confirmed by yesterday’s example, because when Max Verstappen started from the penultimate row in Brazil, no one dared to bet on his victory. Overall, it’s worth a try!
PS Instead of punishing drivers for using obscene words, the FIA should think about it better: how could they accept the work of renewing the asphalt at Interlagos if the number of bumps on the track would only increase?
PPS Congratulations to both Alpine riders on a great result!
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
