Max Verstappen ‘overtake’ ruled out as Lando Norris form reignites ‘better car’ debate’

Juan Pablo Montoya has shut the door on the “better car” debate in the F1 2025 title race, saying it’s not fair on Lando Norris given Max Verstappen himself has won because he was in the better car at the time.

With three race weekends remaining, and a total of 83 points in play, Norris took a commanding lead last time in Brazil when he dominated with back-to-back wins in the sprint and grand prix, following on from his win in Mexico.

Lando Norris v Max Verstappen: Car v driver debate?

The Briton surged 24 points clear of his teammate Oscar Piastri having overturned his 34-point deficit after the Dutch Grand Prix, and leads third-placed Verstappen by 49 points.

It was, however, the Red Bull driver who put in the standout drive of the Brazilian Grand Prix as he raced from the pit lane to third place on the podium.

While the memes have been amusing, joking that Verstappen should start the Las Vegas Grand Prix from the parking lot to make it fair on his rivals, there have also been claims that Norris is only P1 in the standings because of his McLaren MCL39.

And if the two swapped cars, with Verstappen in the McLaren, the title would’ve been wrapped up long ago.

But in the midst of the driver vs car debate – one that has raged for the ages and probably always will – Montoya pointed out that when Verstappen was winning, he too was in the better car.

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“Whether you like it or not, Norris is still beating Verstappen. Yes, he drove a great race, but was still beaten,” he told PokerStrategy.

“And you can’t throw everything at the fact that Norris has a better car. Verstappen had the better car when he won those other races.”

The seven-time grand prix winner went on to rule Verstappen out of the title race having fallen 49 points behind Norris in Brazil.

In fact, with Norris’ 24-point ahead over second-placed Piastri, the former F1 driver reckons the Briton could secure the title before Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the season finale.

“Norris was more than 30 points behind and now he has a 24-point lead over Piastri,” Montoya said.

“If he continues like this, he will win the championship before we get to Abu Dhabi.

“Verstappen still has a chance mathematically, but it is not realistic to think that he will overtake Norris.

“Piastri is not without a chance yet. He can win in Las Vegas and if Lando retires, he will take over the lead in the world championship again. It’s not over for him yet.

“For Verstappen, yes. That difference is far too big with three races to go.”

He added: “Verstappen is the champion of the people. He is the bad guy, who doesn’t let anyone tell him anything. Fans can identify with him.

“But in the end, when we arrive in Abu Dhabi, we will have another world champion.”

Car vs Driver: The age-old Formula 1 debate

From the early years of Alfa Romeo and Ferrari’s success, to the late 1980s, early 1990s when McLaren and Williams to Michael Schumacher’s five-year reign in the Ferrari, Formula 1 has been asked: is it the driver, or it is the car?

It’s both.

To succeed in Formula 1, you need the right car – the winning car – because even the best driver behind the wheel of the worst car cannot win.

2024’s title winner Verstappen, with 437 points, may have done better in the Sauber C44 than Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas’ combined total of four points, but would he have won the title, races or even secured podium finishes? No.

Formula 1 is largely dependent on the car.

Damon Hill won the title in 1996 with Williams, but scored just seven points with Arrows a year later. Jenson Button was 18th with Honda in 2008 but won the title a year later with Brawn GP.

And Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion with 103 wins, struggled to win races with Mercedes when Formula 1 switched to ground-effect aerodynamic cars.

Without a doubt, history has shown that a driver needs to be in the best car, or at least one of the best cars, to win the title.

And then it’s a case of may the best driver win – or the best driver in the best car with the best reliability.

But the word “best”, whether it be car or driver, still applies.

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