Lando Norris disagrees with Oscar Piastri as McLaren divided | F1 | Sport

Lando Norris has rubbished the suggestion that Max Verstappen’s late season title charge is a “surprise” – after team-mate Oscar Piastri gave the opposite view. Both McLaren drivers face the serious threat of being usurped by the Dutchman who looked well out of contention just weeks ago, but who has thrust himself back into the fight.

Verstappen is 40 points off leader Piastri, having been 104 behind after the Dutch Grand Prix. In the four rounds since, he has won three Grands Prix and one Sprint race, while Piastri has not finished ahead of either the Red Bull racer or team-mate Norris in any of them.

Appearing in the FIA press conference ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, the Aussie said: “The run of form that he has had since Monza has been a bit of a surprise. There were flashes of that performance early in the season but also pretty big dips.

“He has come to the fight quicker than I expected… The gap has shrunk a bit in the last few races but the focus has always been on going as fast as I can. I’d rather have the lead than be in any other spot. There is no benefit for me in worrying about that or focusing on that.”

But Piastri’s view is not shared by his team-mate, who is second in the title and 14 points off the lead. When asked if he was surprised by Verstappen’s resurgence, Norris replied: “No, because they’ve won the last [two] constructors’ championships before us.

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“They have some pretty smart people in the team who have won multiple world championships, and they were never that bad. They were never that far off. Max has had many pole positions through the whole year, so it’s not like they were ever bad.”

Norris was beaten to the drivers’ title by Verstappen last year and is determined not to miss out again. He added: “I certainly believe that I can [become world champion], and do have a much better chance this year than last year, 100% percent.  

“As a driver, I have more confidence in what I did than last season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have a much better chance. I’m up against a driver who’s improved massively from his second season to his third, and I’m against a four-time world champion.

“It’s different [from last year], but at the same time I’m against the best drivers in the world, so I don’t expect anything but tough battles.”