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This has been one of the more curious subplots emerging formula one The season is racing towards its conclusion. Amidst a triangular contest for the title, lando norris He was the one (finally, some might say) who shut out the white noise and reached two maximum-point-scoring weekends in Mexico and Brazil. Only, across the paddock with raised eyebrows, was a happy Briton like Larry no loved one on stage,
Norris – who has been one of the sport’s most popular drivers for many years – was insulted by fans In the grandstands of Mexico City and São Paulo. In both cases, the cacophony of noise was strange, as there was no apparent reason for the reception. No controversial moves; No patriotic feelings; Any long standing dislike.
The widely held view is that fans are expressing their displeasure at perceived favoritism within McLaren for Norris oscar piastriThat too is largely fabricated, However, to the delight of Johnny Herbert, odd balls onto the terraces served to trigger Norris’s best form to date, this is lando has been closed,
“He doesn’t deserve that welcome at all,” explains ex-F1 driver Herbert. Independent“People who show their displeasure like that are very stupid, If someone does something that’s really bad, of course, I understand it, But with Lando it’s this ‘favoritism’ thing with Oscar that I don’t understand,
“People say Monza [in September, when Piastri ceded second place to Norris at the team’s request] But I remember last year’s Hungary [when Norris gave up a race win for Piastri] And then no one criticized the Oscars.”
Norris’ lack of ruthlessness has already been a major stick to beat him with, being considered one of his biggest weaknesses along with his self-deprecating tendencies. His childish charm, which made him so attractive drive to survive Generations of fans couldn’t reconcile that title-winning Killer Instinct.
However, it now appears he has cracked the code on the track and enters this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix with a 24-point lead over Piastri.
“Is that [Lando] A bad driver who has a special way of doing things on the racetrack? No, he’s not,” Herbert says, in quotes with 24 Hour Grand Prix Jackpot“Is he an irritable person saying stupid things to the media? No, He’s a bubbly character, so it’s confusing in a lot of ways,
“But the good thing is that it has no effect on Lando. I think he is absorbing all the negativity and turning it into a positive performance. It’s all about how you deal with the pressure put on your shoulders and now, he is dealing with it very well.
“In fact, it probably makes them more motivated in many ways to achieve the goal of winning the World Championships.”
The train of thought, with pace-setter Norris at the top of the standings, is not unusual in the recent history of F1. For both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the past – in 2021, from Dutch and British fans respectively – booze has greeted their post-race interviews. As Herbert tells it, Sebastian Vettel was jeered by at least half a dozen different crowds in 2013, the year he won his fourth and final world championship.
The trend is clear: Sports fans don’t care about who’s riding highest. The change in Verstappen’s popularity this season, with phrases such as “people’s champion” on social media compared to his extreme unpopularity two years ago, suggests just that.
“This is the new thing isn’t it, if you go on social media, it seems like everyone wants to find faults in everyone,” Herbert says when asked about this trend. “Everyone thinks they have the freedom to listen. In Brazil and Mexico, fans wanted to show their disapproval. Disapproval of what? I’m not quite sure.
“Often the best performing driver is something that people don’t always like, which is very interesting. I always go the other way – I want to be impressed by the player and I definitely want to be impressed by the best drivers.
“That’s why I get excited to watch Formula 1 – real skill shows when someone goes out there and dominates the race.”
As Herbert says, the new and improved “hardened” Norris is at the pinnacle of the championship for the first time. While he can’t seal it under the bright lights of Sin City this weekend, another race win means he’ll be in prime position to seal it in Qatar next week with one race left. A stark turnaround from six rounds earlier, when he trailed Piastri by 34 points.
But Herbert, whose career highlight came with victory at the 1995 British Grand Prix, rules out any other points changes, especially given Norris’ past struggles in Vegas.
He added, “It’s great to see Lando coming through now, especially considering how mature Oscar was.” “The bubbly Lando Norris is now a focused Lando Norris.
“Lando is on top now. Is it over for Oscar? No, not at the moment. I’m sure Lando is very aware of that. We’ve seen a lot of twists this season – I’m sure they’re not over yet.”