Lando Norris receives major 'birthday' warning amid renewed Max Verstappen threat

Lando Norris has been warned he risks missing out on "big birthday present" points in the F1 title race as Max Verstappen returns to form. 

Norris is 31 points behind McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship, with a DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix handing a devastating blow to his title hopes, with the gap ballooning to 34.

He was able to claw back three points in the Italian GP at Monza, finishing second to Piastri's third, but was denied a win by the resurgent Verstappen and Red Bull, which was the faster car over the Monza weekend. 

Verstappen is realistically, if not mathematically, out of the title race, 94 points behind Piastri with eight races remaining but could prove to be a king-maker in the title fight as he takes points away from both Norris and Piastri. 

And that will prove to be a big blow for the Briton, one former F1 driver believes.

"It really affects Lando more because if Max is able to win, and in a scenario where you've got McLaren second and third with Lando ahead, the ability to reduce the gap is greatly reduced," Perry McCarthy told RacingNews365. 

"The biggest spread of course is to win the race and hope your team-mate is second or third or fourth because you then get meaningful points back to try and overcome the deficit caused by the failure in Holland.

"So for me, Verstappen would be more the worry for Lando than Oscar. They're certainly just out to race themselves.

"But having Max in there, and if he is able to take some wins, it is like you are taking away the big birthday presents to reduce the championship lead if you're not winning, and it takes away the big boy points on the points spread."