Lando Norris has denied he needs to switch his “whole approach” in order to ensure that he can come out on top against Max Verstappen in Formula 1 racing battles.
Norris went wheel-to-wheel with title rival Verstappen on two occasions at the United States Grand Prix in clashes which materialised to have controversial outcomes.
The Briton was barged aside at Turn 1 and dropped three places, while he was also pushed wide at Turn 12 when making a move on Verstappen in the closing stages.
Norris was determined to have obtained a lasting advantage and a subsequent five-second time penalty placed him behind Verstappen, who extended his points lead.
McLaren, though, opted to request a right of review – which was dismissed – as it argued that Verstappen going deep was the reason that Norris exceeded track limits.
Verstappen once again using the rulebook to his advantage to obtain the upper hand over Norris has prompted renewed talk that the latter must become more robust.
READ MORE – McLaren denies Lando Norris must be more aggressive against Max Verstappen
But while he’s admitted that he will be looking to adapt his approach, Norris has dismissed that he has to reinvent himself when it comes to his duels with Verstappen.
Asked whether he needs to endeavour to be more aggressive versus Verstappen, Norris told media including Motorsport Week: “It’s not an easy answer, honestly.
“It’s not as simple as just saying yes. Do I need to make some changes? Yes. And still adapt a little bit more. But is everything I’m doing wrong also is a no.
“So it’s a tough position to be in because, like we saw, Max didn’t care if he won, or second, or third. His only job was to beat me, and he did that, so he did a good job from that side.
“And I had a lot of fun, and I respected our battle that we had.
“But yeah, he still ended up on top, and I need to be beating him, so some little things I need to change, but I don’t need to change my whole approach.”
Norris won’t bow to external pressure
However, Norris has insisted that the potential changes that he does make will not come about as a result of the growing external calls for him to be more combative.
“I have not spoken to Max at all,” he revealed. “Because he did what I guess he thought was right, I did what I thought was right.
“I still disagree, and I think as a team we still disagree. I think the majority of people who were watching disagreed with the penalty that I got.
“But I’ll make the changes that I need to make, whether it’s being more aggressive at times, or less aggressive, or whatever. I’ll do what I think is right.”
McLaren title hopes are not a hindrance
Meanwhile, Norris has quashed the notion that the wish to not compromise McLaren’s chances in the Constructors’ Championship has been behind his cautiousness.
“For me, they’re the same,” he underlined. “For me the better I can do in the Drivers the better I’m going to do in the Constructors.
“But, of course, both will benefit me in the same way and both will be negative in the same way, if I try and be over-ambitious or do things which will put me out of the race, obviously both championships, so I think they’re both the same, what’s good is good and what’s bad is bad.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris: Max Verstappen’s intentions ‘clear’ in F1 racing situations
