Norris wary as lurking Verstappen prepares to pounce

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen can still have a major say in the title race (Picture: PA)

Lando Norris managed to get his title campaign back on track in Monaco, and the championship rolls straight on into Spain this weekend.

Just three points separate the McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri. And this is where things are about to get rather tricky for the constructors’ champions.

It’s been 17 years since the Woking-based team last won the drivers’ title, and when you have two contenders for the spoils in the team you run the risk of them taking points off each other and handing the trophy to someone else.

Just look at what happened in 2007, when Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton took chunks out of each other, opening the door for Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. This time the driver in the wings is an even more single-minded predator: Max Verstappen, with the full focus of Red Bull Racing behind him. Verstappen is 25 points adrift of leader Piastri but, with the last three grands prix at the Circuit de Catalunya having gone his way, you should not bet against him on Sunday.

Norris certainly isn’t counting him out. ‘If you think it’s just out of me and Oscar, then I think you’re a bit silly,’ he told the media yesterday.

‘Max can still win. Ferrari – I expect them to get better through the season. We’re racing Max every weekend. He’s been on the podium several times. He’s won races. I mean, he beat us in Imola fair and square because he was quicker.’

Lando Norris plays with a padel racket in the paddock in Barcelona (Picture: Getty Images)

Monaco is the most idiosyncratic circuit on the calendar, while Barcelona is pretty much the blueprint for a modern-day F1 track. It is all medium and high-speed curves and if you’re fast here you will be fast in most places, which is why so much testing has occurred here traditionally.

On paper, McLaren have the perfect car but what would be a factor are the FIA’s flex tests for front wings, which are being tightened up from this event onwards in order to reduce the amount of permitted flex under load from 15mm to 10mm. Logic suggests it is the best performing teams of the season so far who stand to lose out.

Alonso is the local hero here, alongside Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sainz says his brilliantly performing Williams might struggle, as the circuit does not play to its strengths, while Alonso feels the Aston Martin upgrades that came online at Imola will really show whether they work or not at this track.

The double world champion, who last won a grand prix in 2013, is also excited about his cameo in the upcoming F1 film. ‘I have, like, two seconds in the movie. Even [Aston Martin owner] Lawrence [Stroll] is walking with the team principals in the pitlane. I think he was good on camera. He will be a good actor in movies, probably they will call him again,’ the Spaniard said with a smile. ‘I think it’s a very nice film.’

The Williams of Alex Albon and Sainz finished ninth and tenth in Monaco respectively, much to the distress of Albon’s good friend George Russell, who was held up in 11th.

To make things up to the ‘miserable’ Mercedes driver, Albon revealed he bought him dinner, saying: ‘He ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. It was the lobster pasta.’

Alpine have had their troubles in 2025, including a heavy crash for Jack Doohan during practice at Suzuka (Picture: Getty Images)

Monaco was a tough race for Mercedes, with both cars falling out of Q2 and failing to score in the race. Still, it could be worse: Russell could be driving for Alpine. The Enstone-based team, who have burned through four team principals in three years, have just seven points, one more than Sauber in last place.

It is a quite incredible fall from grace for a team who won a round in 2021 and were the team to beat in the mid-noughties and mid-nineties. Flavio Briatore, who was at the helm then, is back behind the tiller, but there are questions as to whether he is yesterday’s man and Alpine are a poisoned chalice that the Renault Group is desperate to offload.

Perhaps in order to drum up interest from prospective investors, or current shareholders such as the movie star Ryan Reynolds, Briatore has pledged Alpine will win titles once again.

‘In 2026, we can win races, I guarantee it,’ said the Italian entrepreneur. ‘And in 2027 we want to be title contenders.’