Lando Norris revealed he was “pretty depressed” the week after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after his championship hopes took a big hit.
Norris is 62 points behind the Dutchman with three races remaining, starting with this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, and will likely lose out to Verstappen in this year’s title race.
The McLaren driver had been slowly winding up Verstappen after the summer break, but he finished sixth in the previous race in rainy Brazil, and Verstappen’s impressive win all but ended his title chances.
“You have to learn to accept it,” Norris said. He needs to beat Verstappen by at least three points on Sunday to retain the championship.
“I think there were two things that made it tough for Brazil. One is that something like this happened at the end of the season. It’s even more so at the beginning of the season, you just know what’s going to happen later on. But this was the defining moment of the championship.
“I was pretty depressed for a week after the Brazil game because I realized that things were already out of my control and not necessarily within my reach. , that’s a painful realization.”Suddenly it was pretty depressing and not the best feeling, but you learn to accept it, that’s life.
“I admitted it, and I admitted it in Miami too, that we were lucky to win with the safety car in Miami and that’s the strategy.
“I think Brazil still had a little bit more luck, but that’s F1. That’s racing. I’m not complaining about that. Sometimes luck is on your side, sometimes it’s on other people’s side. That’s life. So, I don’t care, some days it’s not going to work out. ”
Verstappen needs to lead Norris by more than 60 points to become champion on Sunday
Norris: I have what it takes to fight for a future F1 title
Since the Miami Grand Prix in May, McLaren has had a car capable of fighting for victory in most races, but at the halfway point of the season with 12 races remaining, Norris was still 84 points behind.
After winning the Brazilian Sprint, he reduced that number to 44 points, but was unable to turn his main race pole position into a victory as Verstappen came back from 17th place to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time in 10 races. .
“I think this is the first time in the last six years of F1 that we’ve had the chance to be at the front. For the last six years we haven’t been able to do that,” Norris said.
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Bernie Collins talks about improvements for McLaren and Norris ahead of next season on Sky Sports F1 Podcast
“So this is a first opportunity for us and a first opportunity for me to see where I stand. It wasn’t at the level it needed to be.”
“Since the summer vacation, I feel like I’ve done a really good job and had a very, very good performance, one of my best performances so far. So I’m actually very happy with how this performance went.” Honestly. The last few months have passed. ”
Norris has had seven pole positions this year, but only three wins, and believes he has “less to lose” in Las Vegas.
F1 regulations remain unchanged for 2025, so a similar ranking is expected next year, meaning Norris could be back in contention for the title.
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Martin Brundle says Verstappen was in ‘class of one’ after victory at Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Norris will learn a lot ahead of next season’s new championship fight
“I’m not going to change a lot of what happened[this year]but we still need to tweak it,” he continued.[thisyear[ButIstillneedtomaketweaks”hecontinued[thisyear[ButIstillneedtomaketweaks”hecontinued
“I still need to improve, that’s obvious. You know, I’m not completely satisfied with the way I’m doing. I definitely know I need to improve. But for the first time I can confidently say that I have what I think it takes to compete for a championship.
“It doesn’t mean I’m perfect, it doesn’t mean I’m perfect, that’s for sure. When you compete with drivers like Max who are close to it, if you want to be close to perfect, you have to be close to perfect.” , to challenge the teams around us as well.
“So I’m confident and I think the main thing I can take away is having the belief that I have what it takes to compete for a championship. ”
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Let’s take a closer look at what went wrong for Norris at the chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix and why he missed out on victory.
Norris: “A Ferrari would look good in Las Vegas”
Barring a major setback for Verstappen, the focus on track will shift to the constructors’ championship. McLaren has a 36-point lead over Ferrari, while Red Bull has a 49-point lead.
Winning this year’s championship will mean a lot to both teams, as McLaren hasn’t won the title since 1998 and Ferrari since 2008.
“Ferrari has been strong for a long time. They have two very good drivers. They are a very good team,” Norris said.
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David Croft believes nothing should detract from Verstappen’s ‘genius’ if he wins the drivers’ championship in Las Vegas
“They’ve obviously improved the car a lot and found a better direction. And they’ve probably worked with us, some races a little bit better, some races a little behind, some races the same. There was a competitor.
“I think it’s probably a little bit with them, but we’re close. Red Bull is also close at the same time. So it’s about who can perform better on the weekend.”
“But we know that Las Vegas is probably a slightly more suitable track for Ferrari. It suited Ferrari well last year. But we know that Qatar will probably be advantageous for us again. .”
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Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are both ‘positive’ that the Las Vegas circuit will be strong for Ferrari as they aim to win the constructors’ championship
Last year in Las Vegas, Charles Leclerc took pole position and fought for the win, but ended up finishing second behind Verstappen.
Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz had the misfortune of running over a loose metal drain cover during practice, but was forced to change his engine, receiving a 10-place grid penalty and spinning out on the opening lap. However, he recovered to 6th place.
The long straights and importance of traction on the Las Vegas Strip should once again suit the characteristics of Ferrari cars.
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“It’s definitely possible, but we’re not focusing on that. We’re focusing step by step and race by race,” Leclerc said. Sky Sports F1.
“We have a positive feeling at this track. I think we are strong, but that doesn’t mean we will dominate the weekend. It was a very close race with Red Bull and McLaren.”
“We need to be in front of them and perform better than them. Then at the end of the year we will do the math. But the constructors’ championship is definitely the target.”
Live Las Vegas GP Schedule on Sky Sports F1
Friday, November 22nd
2am: Las Vegas GP Practice 1
4:30am: Team representative press conference
5:45am: Las Vegas GP Practice 2*
7:15am: F1 Show*
Saturday, November 23rd
2:15am: Las Vegas GP Practice 3*
5am: Las Vegas GP qualifying build-up*
6am: Las Vegas Grand Prix Qualifying*
8am: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, November 24th
4:30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Las Vegas GP Build-up*
6am: Las Vegas Grand Prix*
8am: Checkered flag: Las Vegas GP reaction*
9am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
F1 returns this weekend with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Max Verstappen could win the championship. Stream the last 3 F1 races and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – cancel anytime with no contract
