Norris: A perfect season still wouldn't have been enough to surpass Verstappen for the F1 title

 

Lando Norris expressed doubts that he could have won the 2024 Formula 1 title, even with a perfect season, but still took pride in McLaren’s progress throughout the year. Norris' hopes of securing the championship were effectively dashed at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he needed to outscore Max Verstappen by three points to keep his title challenge alive for the next round in Qatar.

Despite a late switch to soft tires that earned him the fastest lap, Norris finished behind Verstappen, who claimed fifth place to seal his title defense. The McLaren driver struggled with front graining throughout the race, but he recognized that the team's ability to fight for wins marked a significant achievement.

Reflecting on the season, Norris noted McLaren's rise through the ranks after starting the year as the fourth-fastest team. "I'm very proud of the whole team for putting up the fight for so long, for catching up as much as we did," he said. "We were the fourth-best team at the beginning of the year, while Red Bull has never been anywhere near that position. We had too big a deficit to overcome, and Red Bull has been too strong."

Looking ahead, Norris was optimistic about the future. “Next year, we'll start with a car we believe can fight for the championship from the very first round. We haven’t had that opportunity for the last six years, so I'm excited for that."

Despite the progress McLaren has made, Norris was realistic about his chances of beating Verstappen this season, even with a flawless performance. "Could we have done some things better? Absolutely. Do I think we could have won the championship even with a perfect season? I don't. But I'm happy to finish second."

With McLaren now focusing on securing the constructors' title, Norris expressed concern over the team's challenging performance in Vegas, rather than being content with Mercedes' 1-2 finish, which helped limit Ferrari’s points. “I’m more worried about how poor our car was today," he admitted. "It was difficult to drive, and it didn’t perform in the conditions we had."

Norris also noted that McLaren’s car, often touted as the best on the grid, hasn’t consistently delivered the expected results. “We’ve had some great weekends, but this weekend, even though I felt I drove well, I couldn’t extract more from the car. If I pushed any harder, I’d probably end up in the wall.”

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