believes his staff had been merely “not prepared” to win an drivers’ championship this yr after sealed the title in Las Vegas.
Verstappen completed fifth, a spot above Norris, in Sin Metropolis and now has an unassailable lead within the drivers’ championship with two races left.
Norris has, since his first F1 win in Miami in Could, been armed with the quickest automotive however regardless of two extra victories, the Brit skilled quite a few missed alternatives all through what was his first championship problem.
Norris admitted it “harm” to lose out this yr, however paid tribute to Verstappen as he joined an elite checklist of drivers to win not less than 4 titles.
“I’ll begin by saying congrats to Max, as a lot because it hurts,” Norris informed Sky Sports activities F1.
“He drove an unimaginable season, when he had the quickest automotive he dominated, when he didn’t he was there. He made my life robust, he drove a greater season so large congrats to him.
“I didn’t even count on to be in a title struggle. I used to be proud of how calm I used to be and targeted I used to be. There’s positively extra strain, extra eyes, extra nerves. You need to drive higher and I really feel like I’ve. Since Zandvoort, I feel I’ve performed near an ideal job, I want to enhance after all.
“I don’t assume we as a staff had been able to struggle in opposition to the massive boys. As a lot as I’d wish to consider we had been prepared, we weren’t. However we had been there combating Max, nobody else.”
Norris added that he feels the title was misplaced early on within the season, when Verstappen gained 4 out of the primary 5 races and constructed up a factors lead which Norris was in the end unable to decrease.
“I’m extra proud than the rest, I don’t remorse something,” he added.
“However not one thing I remorse… Max drove too effectively. It was misplaced within the first six races. We by no means clawed it again from there, we put up a very good struggle and look ahead to subsequent yr, being there from the start.”
As for the race, Norris completed the place he began in sixth on a weekend the place McLaren had been missing pure tempo.
“The race was fairly dangerous, dangerous day,” he stated. “A poor weekend for us.”
Norris now has a struggle on his fingers to complete in second place, with simply 21 factors separating him and third-placed Charles Leclerc.
The battle can be on within the constructors’ championship, as McLaren eye a primary groups’ title in 26 years. The papaya are 24 factors forward of Ferrari, forward of subsequent week’s Qatar Grand Prix.
