Currently chasing championship leader Max Verstappen for F1 glory, Lando Norris sits only 59 points behind the Dutchman.
After his race wins in Miami and Zandvoort, Norris is now a genuine contender for the title, but he’s keen to remind the F1 world that this battle is still very much Max Verstappen’s to lose.
Heading into the Singapore GP, Norris remains wary of the defending champion, even despite Red Bull’s recent drop in form and McLaren having the fastest car on the grid.
In Norris’s words, Verstappen’s dominance earlier this season means that Red Bull still holds the cards, even if McLaren has been making rapid gains, with race wins from both drivers.
The Brit says he has “nothing to lose,” while Verstappen is the one defending a lead that once looked untouchable after opening the season with four wins in the first five races.
“They were beating us by bigger margins than we’re beating them by now,” Norris said on Thursday, reflecting on Red Bull’s early-season dominance.
“It’s still for him to lose, not for me. I’m still the one that’s got nothing to lose at the minute.”
After a lacklustre start to the season, McLaren has had a massive turnaround, finding significant pace in the MCL60, not only chasing the drivers’ title but now leading the constructors’ championship following Piastri’s victory in Baku.
Norris has been quick to caution fans that despite Red Bull’s recent drop-off in form, it would be premature to assume that the team have lost their way entirely.
He stated that Red Bull is not as far off the pace as McLaren was at the start of the campaign.
“It’s only been the last two races where I would say that they’ve been off the pace,” Norris explained.
“They’re having a less difficult time than we had at the beginning of the year… they’re still more in the race than what we were at the beginning of the year.”
“I believe they can turn things around quite quickly.”
His reaction to his win at Verstappen’s home Grand Prix was notably subdued, and not just because of the fan reaction to Verstappen being beaten on home soil; it was because Norris understood that these victories meant something larger.
Reflecting on his celebration in Zandvoort, Norris said, “I didn’t really celebrate at all in Zandvoort, it was just a little fist bump and a couple of smiles, but that was it.
“If I was completely out of the championship I probably would’ve celebrated more, but considering I know it kind of means something towards a bigger prospect, it just felt like a smaller thing on that day and the meaning of it.”
With seven races remaining in the season, Norris needs to outscore Verstappen by an average of nine points per race to take the title, which is a lot of pressure, but it’s far from impossible.
