The F1 title battle was all but ended last Sunday, as Max Verstappen took arguably the greatest win of his career from 17th on the grid at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
With Lando Norris starting on pole after a dominant performance in qualifying and Verstappen way down the order after a combination of bad luck and engine penalties, this seemed like an opportunity Norris simply could not squander in his quest to overturn the points deficit in the championship.
An all-time classic race would play out, with Verstappen putting in an utterly flawless drive to climb to first place shortly after a mid-race red flag - from where he pulled out an astonishing lead of over 19 seconds.
Verstappen's win - combined with Norris' poor P6 finish - left the Dutchman 62 points ahead in the title battle with just three races left to play out. His fourth championship is all but secured, and the end of the season is set to be far more comfortable than it looked set to be just two weeks ago.
Questions have been asked of Norris and McLaren, who have arguably had the most consistently fast car over the course of the year, but have squandered major points on more than one occasion. The team's management of intra-team battles was questioned in both Hungary and Italy, while Norris has slipped up on more than one occasion when a win was on the cards.
The KEY MOMENT Max Verstappen took the lead of the Sao Paulo GP! 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/f2oCsxRHkO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 3, 2024
For many, the image of Verstappen passing Esteban Ocon for the lead in Sao Paulo as Norris slid off track to fall to P7 summed up the way this title "battle" has played out.
After the decisive play from the defending world champion in Brazil, Eddie Jordan issued a brutal assessment of Lando Norris' chances of ever joining Verstappen in the F1 championship-winning circle.
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Eddie Jordan had frank words after Lando Norris' F1 title disaster
Appearing on his podcast 'Formula for Success' alongside David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan dissected Lando Norris' ultimately doomed charge for the 2024 F1 title.
In contrast to his co-host, Jordan issued a brutal assessment of Norris' ability to win a championship in future, saying that the cutting edge required to win titles was "just not there."
There's nothing in me that tells me that I've seen in Lando something that I saw Max could do. Nothing, nothing, I'm sorry - it's just not there!
Lando has to look at himself long and hard in the mirror this winter and say to himself, 'If I'm going to be a great world champion, I have a lot to learn here, and I have to start replaying those videos about what it is really like to be hard, tough, and victorious.'
I'm sorry, but at this moment in time, he hasn't got it. It's a fact. He hasn't translated those [pole positions] into race wins. He dicked around on the podium, he's dicked around on the start line.
Honestly, how many races should he have won this year? And why did he not get them?
Despite the disappointment of the points left behind, Norris has had several brilliant moments and drives this season, something Coulthard was eager to stress.
It was Coulthard's insistence that Norris will eventually deliver in a title battle that brought the most cutting remark from former F1 team boss Jordan.
When [will he deliver]? Will you or I be alive to see it?
If the rest of the F1 season plays out as expected, it will be a long winter of reflection for McLaren man Lando Norris.
The next Grand Prix takes place in Las Vegas next weekend, with the race at 6am Irish time on November 24.
