Martin Brundle explains why Lando Norris can’t risk ’50/50′ moves in ‘wide open’ Oscar Piastri title race

Follow us on Google Discover

Lando Norris must now overcome a 34-point deficit to Oscar Piastri after he was forced to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix.

McLaren found that it was an oil-related problem with his power unit in Zandvoort, which was brought on by an issue with their chassis rather than any reliability concerns with their Mercedes power unit.

Max Verstappen has told Norris how he must approach the title battle with Oscar Piastri, although it will be difficult given the consistency of his teammate.

When discussing whether Norris needs to take more risks on Sky Sports F1 (12:40pm 07/09), Martin Brundle has explained why the Briton can’t afford any 50/50 overtakes.

Martin Brundle believes Lando Norris needs to think about scoring points

Norris will need to overcome a big points deficit to Piastri in the next couple of races, which will mean finishing ahead of his teammate and hoping for some misfortune along the way.

His retirement in Zandvoort conjured up the same image as Lewis Hamilton’s title-deciding retirement in Malaysia in 2016, although the Briton has the luxury of having nine more races instead of four.

Brundle believes that he will need to consistently score points rather than take any risks that could prevent him from finishing a race.

“I don’t think Lando can afford to throw caution to the wind. Yes, his natural talent and juices will flow because there’s a bit of pressure and expectation off now, but there’s still nine races and three sprints to go,” said Brundle.

“He can’t just lunge into the braking zone down into Turn 1 and risk a 50/50 move. He needs these points still, because the championship is still wide open.”

Nico Rosberg thinks ‘huge pressure’ off Lando Norris will make him better

Nico Rosberg was the beneficiary of Hamilton’s misfortune in 2016, although the pressure was still on him to win the title that season.

He believes Norris will have less pressure now that he is no longer the favourite, which could improve his consistency.

“Lando doesn’t have the huge pressure on his shoulder anymore of being the favourite for the championship, because of the bad luck,” said Rosberg.

“Now he’s 30 plus points behind. I think we’re going to see a stronger Lando now, more relaxed, more concentrated.”

Mistakes cost Norris in the title battle with Verstappen last season, but the Briton believes he has stamped those out, having worked hard over the summer break.