Lando Norris has revealed how his clash with Max Verstappen in Mexico was a “turning point” for him in 2024 as it showcased that his Formula 1 rival is not “perfect”.
Norris produced a flawless drive in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to convert pole position into the race win to take McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
But although he helped McLaren end its protracted title drought, Norris was not in contention to win the Drivers’ crown as Max Verstappen sealed the deal in advance.
Norris had threatened to mount a serious challenge to Verstappen when Red Bull’s regression in competitiveness allowed McLaren to emerge as the benchmark side.
However, Norris and McLaren committed several mistakes over the season which allowed Verstappen to triumph with two rounds to go despite a 10-race winless run.
The Briton conceded he hasn’t operated “at the level” required to overhaul Verstappen, but he expressed that he has shown this term that he belongs at the sharp end.
Norris divulged that sense was consolidated in Mexico when Verstappen’s erratic driving getting penalised when the two duelled proved all drivers are prone to errors.
“I obviously lost out on a few things,” Norris, who beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to the runner-up spot, acknowledged to media including Motorsport Week.
“And there were maybe three starts this year, which lost me one or two positions at times.
“But they were positions quite often just to Max. Or it was Budapest and one to Oscar [Piastri] and little things like that.
“But none of them, when I look back on them, made me feel like, ‘well, I’ve not got what it takes’.
“Those moments only came when it was directly against Max. And it’s Max. Going up against Max in any state is always going to be tricky. And no one has a nice time racing Max.
“I think Mexico was a bit of a turning point when it was proved that not everything he does is perfect.
“I think if we all go back to Austin and go back to Turn 12, the majority of, I say, almost everyone on the grid, as drivers and also externally, disagreed with the fact I got the penalty.
“We either both should not have got one or we both should have got one.”
Norris on criticism of racing approach
The incident in Austin saw Norris’ tentativeness in wheel-to-wheel combat criticised, but he has argued that his huge points gap meant he couldn’t afford to take risks.
“The thing is, what you don’t see on the outside are some of those moments where if I did certain things, we would have crashed,” he continued.
“People on the outside have no idea on what it takes and those moments where you accept losing a battle. And that is the case.
“And that was because of where we were in the first six, seven races of the year. We lost too many points.
“And I was just in that position where I couldn’t gain as much as what I needed to and wanted to.
“But I’m not using any of these as excuses. I’m saying I didn’t have what it took this season to fight against Max and deliver what I needed to deliver.
“But it certainly gave me the feeling of, ‘OK, if I improve this little bit here, this little bit here’, for the first time, I have confidence in saying I’ve definitely got what it takes.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris had faith he could deliver McLaren F1 title when Oscar Piastri was span round
