Lando Norris has revealed his loss in Brazil left him feeling “down for a week” amid the realisation that the “doors almost shut” on his dream to win the Formula 1 title.
Norris heads into this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix with an almost insurmountable task to win the title as he trails a substantial 62 points behind Max Verstappen.
The Briton sustained a sizeable blow to his championship ambitions in Brazil as he dropped from pole position to sixth as Verstappen prevailed from 17th on the grid.
Norris had managed to reduce the gap to 44 points with a win in the earlier Sprint race, but his latest setback has all but ensured that Verstappen will retain his crown.
Norris has admitted the points swing at Interlagos provided a stinging mental blow as he tried to come to terms with the idea that the title will be out of reach in 2024.
“Not a lot has changed, honestly,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week. “I kind of know the position I’m in now. I have less to lose now.
“The gap to Max is for the first time… probably when I’ve looked at the gap myself, and kind of had the realisation of where things stand.
“I think post-Brazil was a tough one for me, because it was the first moment, realistically, when I’m like, it’s tough to achieve first position now.
“We were on such a good run of form. Little by little, you know, it’s hard to get any big points on Max, because he didn’t have any bad races.
“It was a tough week, because things just didn’t go our way. My kind of real fight for the championship was slimmed by the biggest margin of the whole year.
“A tricky one, but it doesn’t change my approach. My approach has been correct. My approach has been the right approach for the last few weekends.
“I’ve been performing well, I’ve been doing a good job. So, from my side, I did not change anything, but I think I can probably just go out and enjoy it a little bit more.”
Norris counts Brazil as ‘defining moment’
Norris conceded the timing accentuated his anguish compared to earlier slip-ups this season as Brazil arrived at a point when there is less time to recover the ground.
“I think what made Brazil tough was two things,” he continued. “One was for something like this to happen so late in the season.
“I think when it’s earlier in the season, it’s more so big and you see what happens later on.
“This was almost a defining moment for the championship. It was a defining moment for the championship. The doors are almost shut.
“For a week, I was pretty down after Brazil. Because I had that realisation that things are pretty much out of my control now. Not within reach necessarily.
“That’s a tough realisation when hopes and your belief is so high. For it to get knocked down so much all of a sudden was pretty demoralising.
“Not the best of feelings, but you learn to accept that that’s life. I admit it, even in Miami. I was lucky in Miami to get the win. With a Safety Car, that’s the strategy you play.
“I think Brazil was still a bit more luck of the trade [with the red flag]. That is Formula 1. That’s racing, I’m not complaining about it.
“Luck can be on your side, it can be on other people’s side. That’s life. I don’t mind. One day it will go your way, the next it won’t.”
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