The British Grand Prix will mark the halfway point in the 2024 Formula 1 season and few would have predicted how close the battle would be at the front of the grid just a few months ago.
After the first few races, it appeared as though Max Verstappen was going to drive off into the distance at every track with Sergio Perez following behind him at a distance.
However, the grid has quickly converged and suddenly McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all have cars capable of winning races.
Recent races have shown how important qualifying is with drivers typically split by hundreds of a second.
It’s put serious pressure on Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez who can no longer rely on a car that’s head and shoulders above the rest of the field to start each Grand Prix close to the triple world champion.
Previewing the race in a conversation with Sky Sports F1, former world champion Jenson Button shared who he thinks will win the British Grand Prix.
He made a popular choice, suggesting that after missing out in Austria, Lando Norris would be victorious.
The 24-year-old earned his maiden Formula 1 victory in Miami earlier in the year and would love to double his tally at his home race.
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Jenson Button believes McLaren star Lando Norris will win the British Grand Prix
Asked who he thinks is going to win the British Grand Prix, Button said: “I think it’s going to be Lando this one! I think it’s going to be Lando Norris!”
Norris has a strong record at Silverstone during his previous six visits in Formula 1.
He narrowly missed out on points during his debut season, coming home in 11, before achieving 5 and 9 place finishes during the back-to-back races in 2020.
In 2021, Norris came close to his first home podium, coming home in 4 although he was 17 seconds behind Valtteri Bottas.
Norris achieved another decent points haul in 2022 before securing his best result at Silverstone last year.
Max Verstappen was in unstoppable form this time 12 months ago, but Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri joined him on the podium to secure McLaren’s best result at the track in years.
Button has now backed Norris to go one better at the British Grand Prix this year and for once the sea of orange in the crowd will be there cheering on the 24-year-old rather than his closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship.
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Lando Norris on for his best-ever finish in the Drivers’ Championship
There’s more attention on Lando Norris now than arguably ever before after his fantastic battle with Verstappen in Austria.
Although he ultimately ended up having to retire from the race due to a puncture, Norris proved he was quick enough to challenge the multiple world champion.
Norris’s best finish in the Drivers’ Championship so far in his career is 6, achieved in 2021 and 2023.
He’s already just 49 points away from his record points tally in one season and at this stage, he’s on track to score more than 300 points.
It’s hard to compare to previous seasons given the points-scoring system has changed over the years but there are definitely occasions where that tally would put him in contention to win a championship.
During the Max Verstappen era that’s not going to be the case, but he’s getting closer and closer every year.
The post ‘It’s going to be’: Jenson Button predicts who he thinks is going to win the British Grand Prix appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
