Beating Max Verstappen this season has not been an easy task for anyone. Carlos Sainz started off the trend by winning a race in Melbourne a week after being operated on for his appendix removal, and next it was Lando Norris, who had a cut on his nose before the Miami GP. So far, we have noticed that both drivers have lost some blood before making a GP win this year, and hopefully, this dangerous trend will stop soon.

It comes down to superstition that will change the outcome of the race, and this win was not easy for Verstappen by a long shot. The Dutch champion was constantly under pressure from the last GP winner, and with a black and white flag on his record, it would mean just one lockup would get him a 5-second penalty that would have put him in second place as McLaren was just +0.725 seconds behind the leading Red Bull. However, this time it’s McLaren team boss Zak Brown who is showing signs of believing superstition, at least for a joke that is.

Finishing under a second slower than Max Verstappen in a dominant season is something that all teams want to achieve. But after the win in Miami, Lando Norris has the taste of victory, and he is hungry for more. He showed this on track without a doubt with one of the most amazing displays of catch-up during the last 10 laps of the Imola GP. Although he came in second and the result was a good one, he believed that just one more lap would have put him in the lead. Zak Brown had a different theory, which he revealed during Norris’s post-race interview, where the American boss said, “I told Lando that if he had changed his beard, he might have found 8 tenths.”

Of course, this is a witty comment, and Brown knows that it will take a little more effort to perfect the driver’s comfort with the car to make them a strong contender for the world championship. Even on a track that is named after the founder and his son, Ferrari managed to come third and fifth with less than impressive results.

Is McLaren catching up with Ferrari?

It’s safe to say that the answer is yes for now, as the McLaren upgrades from Miami are going strong for the team. They are finding a lot of pace, and that’s visible with both drivers. Unfortunately, Oscar Piastri has been challenged by bad luck or communication, which has led to him finishing lower than he could, and with him clocking in second during the qualifiers, it’s clear that he is as fast as Norris in the car.

Even in Miami, things were pretty good for Piastri until his contact with Carlos Sainz, which led him to finish 13th, but otherwise, the pace is visible in his lap times as he still set the fastest lap in Miami. Piastri finished the race a position ahead of where he started, putting Sainz’s Ferrari behind, which is an achievement in itself considering Sainz is going all out this season.

On the other hand, Charles Leclerc came in third, but sadly, the gap between him and second place was a considerable +7.916 seconds, meaning that Ferrari would not be able to close the gap with McLaren. Fred Vasseur has mentioned that Ferrari had some upgrades implemented in the SF24, but unfortunately, the progress failed to show beyond the first day of practice. Ferrari has a lot to work on to maintain their lead over McLaren, as it looks like Lando NoWins has become MoreWins, and his hunger is visible on track.

With that said, do you think that Lando Norris has had more race wins this season? Or will Ferrari maintain their P2 in the constructors championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.