Lando Norris says he now has the assumption and skill to struggle the “greatest driver on this planet” Max Verstappen after racing the Dutchman for the primary time in 2024.
McLaren had one other large step ahead this season which has enabled Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri to take their first profession wins, and gave Norris an opportunity to struggle Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.
That has additionally led to Norris’ first correct wheel-to-wheel battles with the Dutchman, with the pair coming to blows in Austria earlier than additional skirmishes in Austin and Mexico.
And whereas each Norris and McLaren fell in need of sustaining the Briton’s title bid, with Verstappen taking his fourth championship in Las Vegas, Norris feels he has discovered an enormous quantity from his first marketing campaign on F1’s entrance traces.
“Much more positives and negatives, that is for certain,” he mirrored on 2024. “I really feel like I can struggle for a championship and I am joyful, and I can say that confidently. I’ve what it takes, and I do know that deep down I’ve what it takes.
“I’ve some issues to work on nonetheless, for certain, however I can struggle in opposition to Max, and I will be joyful to say that, as a result of I feel Max is the most effective driver on this planet, and possibly among the best drivers that is ever been in Method 1.
“Many individuals would possibly disagree, however I am fairly assured after I say that, which is uncommon. So for me to place up a struggle in opposition to him and to go wheel-to-wheel is one thing I like, I get pleasure from.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photograph by: Jordan McKean – Motorsport Pictures
“I am going to most likely look again on quite a bit in 20 years or 30 years that I fought such a driver. I am joyful for him. He deserves the championship, however hopefully I can upset him extra subsequent yr.”
Norris acknowledged Verstappen had “no downsides” after holding on to his lead in what has usually not been the quickest automobile.
“He isn’t put a foot unsuitable, actually, the entire yr. In order that’s a power of his, he has no downsides. He has no negatives.
“When he is had the quickest automobile, he dominated races. When he isn’t within the quickest automobile, he is nonetheless been simply behind us and virtually profitable the races anyway. So, he isn’t had any dangerous races the entire yr.
“I feel if we had a greater automobile in the beginning of the yr, we might have been combating him much more and he would have been much more below strain than he is ever been.
“As quickly as we did put him below strain, he made some errors, the staff made errors. However over the course of the season, there’s been only a few, and that is what makes him so good.”
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