As the legendary British Formula 1 TV commentator Murray Walker once said “F1 is ‘if’ backwards”. While the grammatical details of this rhetorical flourish perhaps don’t stand up to close examination, the fact remains that Formula 1 is prone to unexpected outcomes.
This is what defending champion Lando Norris is relying upon since he now lies a distant fifth in the drivers’ standings ahead of the 11th round of the season, with 112 points to championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s 224. After 11 rounds last season, he was lying second to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who had won five grands prix and claimed four other podium finishes, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen looked to be out of the picture.
