Opinion - "Shove a fork in it, that Championship is done"

Let’s start off by clarifying one thing: I’m a long-time McLaren supporter. 2015 was when I first got into F1, and what a rough year that was for McLaren. Jenson Button pairing with Fernando Alonso, Honda coming back into the sport to supply engines, and bringing back one of the most accomplished and successful pairings the sport had ever seen—it was a surefire recipe for success. This was it: our first championship since Hamilton took the title in 2008… BOY, WERE WE WRONG.

But enough about the past; back to the 2024 season. I will always back the Papaya lads, and that means getting behind Lando Norris, McLaren’s golden boy since 2019. It’s been a long, long time, but finally, after years of waiting, we have a car that can fight for wins.

Now that I’ve established myself as a diehard McLaren fan, let me say this: Jesus Christ, Max Verstappen, what on earth was that ungodly drive? Taking a grid penalty and starting way back in 17th couldn’t deter the man. The bloody heavens opening up and unleashing a biblical amount of rain couldn’t stop the Dutchman. He tore through that grid like I expect us to rip through a box on the weekend (responsibly), catching up to the front runners by lap 28. While Max did benefit from Williams’ rookie Franco Colapinto crashing his already beaten-up Williams into the wall, triggering the most fortuitously timed red flag of the year, we can all be honest with ourselves: it would not have mattered. Verstappen then checked out with a series of fastest laps to lead by over three seconds with 20 laps to go, his constant lowering of the pace meaning he was a whopping 19.3 seconds ahead by the flag, despite the rain briefly getting heavier again in the closing stages.

All hopes of a title fight going down to the wire are gone, and as I sit here wearing my McLaren merch, I’m man enough to admit that. This latest result leaves the points deficit at 62 points… shove a fork in it, this championship is done.

For a full race run down - read the NZH's article here!

An opinion piece written by Dylan O'Connor