Norris inflicts Verstappen’s first defeat at home to kick-start his title chase · RaceFans

When it comes to deciding the winners of the world drivers’ and constructors’ championships for 2024, all 24 rounds in F1’s longest-ever season will be counted. But the final ten rounds that will decide who emerges victorious.

Even before teams packed their bags for the summer break, the paradigm of the 2024 season had already shifted dramatically from the start of the year.

After seven wins from the opening ten rounds, Red Bull and Max Verstappen were finally caught by their rivals. Despite Verstappen’s continued efforts behind the wheel, Red Bull failed to achieve a victory for four successive rounds for only the first time since 2020. For the first time in the ground effect era, a rival team – McLaren – overtook them as the clear fastest package on the grid.

The season at the summer break was no longer the one it had been just months earlier. The 2024 championship had evolved into a ten round play-off for both titles – just with a healthy head start for both Verstappen and his team.

If McLaren and Lando Norris – the closest of the team’s drivers to the world champions – were to have any chance of turning a possible but improbable opportunity to chase down the dominant force in Formula 1 over the final part of the year, then the Dutch Grand Prix was simply a must-win race for them. Beating Verstappen at his home race, one that he has reigned supreme at since the sport first returned to Zandvoort – would be the ultimate statement of intent.

So when Norris bumped Verstappen off his customary pole position grid slot at Zandvoort by over three tenths of a second, it was clear: Red Bull had not been able to patch up their vulnerabilities over the summer. Norris’ next job was a crucial one: Beat Verstappen to the first corner. Pull that off and catching him may prove a challenge beyond even Verstappen’s powers.

But as much as Formula 1 is about the might of the machinery, it is ultimately the human element that determines the outcome. Norris was 0-for-5 for keeping the lead when starting from pole position across grands prix and sprint races in his F1 career – as he was relentlessly reminded over Saturday evening.

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At just under 300 metres, Zandvoort presented one of the shortest runs from pole to the first corner on the calendar. This was Norris’ chance to prove the stats didn’t matter. That this wasn’t…