McLaren believes that Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking run of nine consecutive wins in the second half of 2013 serves as proof that a Formula 1 championship double is within reach this season.
Lando Norris’s commanding victory at the Dutch Grand Prix has sparked fresh optimism within the McLaren camp. Even though Max Verstappen and Red Bull continue to hold a substantial lead in the championship standings. Norris’s win at Zandvoort, with the largest winning margin of 2024—an impressive 22.896 seconds ahead of Verstappen—has reinforced McLaren’s belief that they can contend for both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.
McLaren has made significant inroads in the Constructors’ Championship, narrowing the gap to Red Bull to just 30 points after reducing their rivals’ advantage by 12 points over the weekend. In the Drivers’ Championship, Norris now trails Verstappen by 70-points, having gained eight points through his win and fastest lap. Should Norris replicate this performance in the remaining nine races of the season. He could potentially emerge as the 2024 champion.
While such a feat is undoubtedly challenging, McLaren has drawn inspiration from Vettel’s historic 2013 season. That year, Vettel faced stiff competition from Mercedes and Ferrari during the first half of the season. But everything changed after the summer break. Starting with the Belgian Grand Prix, Vettel went on to win all nine remaining races, securing his fourth and final world title in dominant fashion.
Reflecting on the Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that the team has looked to Vettel’s 2013 campaign as a source of motivation and perspective.
When asked if McLaren now considers both championships within reach, Stella responded. “I think in the Constructors’ Championship, the game was on even before this event. In the Drivers’ Championship, we definitely wanted to keep our focus on the fact that it was possible. We even talked and looked at what Vettel did in 2013 and said, ‘Why not us? We need to keep the focus, We need to believe this is possible.’”
Stella admitted that McLaren’s performance at Zandvoort exceeded expectations, particularly given the track’s favorable characteristics for their car, similar to their strong showing in Hungary earlier in the season.
“I have to say it was very encouraging from a performance point of view,” Stella remarked. “At the same time, it happens at a track that seems to be just very suitable for our car, like Hungary was. After Hungary, people were saying, ‘Ah, it’s going to be P1, P2 every race.’ But it’s not. It’s very track-dependent at the moment. But this was definitely beyond expectation in terms of qualifying performance, race performance, and even tyre degradation. Lando scored the fastest lap of the race on the last lap.”
Despite McLaren’s current momentum, Norris remains grounded, refusing to get carried away by championship talk.
“I’ve been fighting for the championship since the first race of the year. There’s no sudden decision now,” Norris said. “I need to do better. I’ve been working hard the whole year and I’m still 70 points behind Max. So it’s pretty foolish to think of anything else at the moment. I just take one race at a time and keep doing what I’m doing now because there’s no point in thinking too far ahead.”
As McLaren looks to the remaining races of the 2024-season, team is fueled by both historical precedent and recent successes. Aiming to turn their dreams of a championship double into reality.
