Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have been good friends for a long time. But this year, they are turning into rivals more than being friends. They have been the most consistent racers of the current season. Thanks to McLaren’s incredible progress, there has been some sort of competition between the two teams. It is great for the fans who always appreciate thrilling fights and races. But this year, it is not just between two teams. Besides McLaren and Red Bull, there have been two more teams who are up for the title contention, they are – Mercedes and Ferrari.
It is still far away from the Silver Arrows, but last year, only two teams enjoyed one or more wins. Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz Jr., won the Singaporean Grand Prix last year. The rest of the races belonged to Red Bull’s hegemony. Max Verstappen had won 19 races, whereas his teammate Sergio Perez had won a couple. There was no chance for other teams in 2023. But in the ongoing season, four teams have won multiple races. Currently, Verstappen continues to lead the standings. However, McLaren’s Lando Norris is gradually closing in.
Lando Norris Is Confident About Challenging The Reigning World Champion
In the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren had a race to savour for the ages. They had a one-two finish. Moreover, Oscar Piastri won the first race in his career. After following team orders, Lando Norris finished at P2. However, he could have taken the P1 spot in the Hungaroring circuit. Max Verstappen did not even finish in the top four in Hungary. He finished at P5. On the other hand, his teammate Sergio Perez had a P7 finish. Later, in an interview with The Guardian, McLaren’s Norris mentioned that the goal to challenge the reigning world champion is “Still on.” He added that it might sound like a “Big stretch.” However, he is not willing to give up on the challenge to be a world champion. Moreover, Norris says, “As a team, we won’t say no to the challenge.” On top of that, he said that psychologically he feels happy and excited.
Moreover, he said that he is ready to battle and is eagerly waiting for the battles that they will have in the upcoming races. After what the team has been able to achieve since last season, Norris believes it is only silly to say no to the possibility of fighting for the championship. He believes the title fight is a “Realistic target.” The McLaren driver said he is going to give himself the best opportunity to keep fighting for the title. He believes they still can display improvements a lot in the short term as well as the long term, especially after the summer break.
McLaren Is Catching Up Fast To Red Bull
The next F1 race will be in Spa. Then, they will have the summer break. After letting his teammate win in Budapest, Norris lost seven points in his fight against Max Verstappen. Now, the Dutch racer only has a lead of 76 points against the McLaren driver with 11 more races to go this season. Like Piastri won his first career race in Hungary last Sunday, Norris won his first career race in the 2024 Miami GP.
This season has been great for the McLaren duo so far. With 11 races remaining, Red Bull has 389 points in the number one spot. Behind the Austrian outfit, McLaren is closing in with 338 points. Currently, Norris and McLaren are sitting in second place in their respective standings.
Stay tuned with Sports News International or more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
