Lando Norris has insisted the Drivers’ Championship in the 2024 Formula 1 season will remain Max Verstappen’s “to lose” despite McLaren’s advantage over Red Bull.
Norris has come into the Singapore Grand Prix 59 points behind Verstappen, meaning he must outscore his rival by nine points a round in the remaining seven events.
However, McLaren’s emergence as the benchmark in F1 has coincided with a drastic Red Bull decline which has seen Verstappen off the podium in the last two races.
The Woking-based squad capitalised on Sergio Perez’s earlier struggles and Red Bull’s regression to seize the Constructors’ Championship lead in Baku last weekend.
But while Norris has been tipped to be in a strong position to overcome Verstappen’s margin, the Briton has denied that he should be expected to clinch a maiden title.
“It’s still for him to lose, not for me,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week. “I’m still the one that’s got nothing to lose at the minute.”
Norris recalls Red Bull’s dominance
Red Bull’s ongoing troubles with the RB20’s balance marks a stark contrast to earlier in the term when Verstappen headed three 1-2 finishes in the opening four races.
Norris has highlighted that Red Bull’s margin over the competition in the nascent rounds exceeds what McLaren has been inflicting on the opposition in recent events.
“They’re having a less difficult time than we had at the beginning of the year,” he added.
“So they’re still more in the race than what we were at the beginning of the year.
“We’ve turned things around and at the same time, I strongly believe that they can still turn things around quite quickly.
“Really it’s only been the last two [races at Monza and Baku] where I would say that they’ve been off the pace both a little bit in qualifying but also, and probably more so, the race itself.
“So I think people just need to look more specifically at what things are obvious and in front of them and not make judgements or general stuff.”
Norris’ approach has changed since maiden F1 win
Norris has admitted that his attitude towards celebrating race victories has altered since he has acknowledged that he has a serious chance to win the championship.
“The easiest thing is to look at how much I celebrated Miami versus how much I celebrated in Zandvoort,” he 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.”
