Max Verstappen taunts Lando Norris with brutal claim about title race | F1 | Sport
Max Verstappen has taunted Formula 1 title rival Lando Norris by claiming he would have “easily” won the title by now if he were in a McLaren. The Dutchman is 24 points behind his British rival heading into this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix and still very much in the title race thanks to McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas last Sunday.
But Verstappen is adamant that, had he been driving for McLaren, who sealed the constructors’ title more than two months ago, instead of Red Bull, then things would not nearly be so close. Asked by The Press Association what the situation would be if he was a McLaren driver, he smiled and replied: “We wouldn’t be talking about a championship – it would already have been won, easily. They won the constructors’ championship so early that yeah… you can fill it in yourself.”
Verstappen is a four-time champion and already very much accustomed to the pressure that comes with being in contention for F1’s top prize. In contrast, Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri are both vying to become world champion for the first time and that, the Dutchman feels, is where he has an advantage over his rivals in these final weeks of the season.
He said: “Your dream is to win a championship and that is when the pressure is on. It was the same for me when I was fighting for my first title. You definitely feel more pressure of being in that fight and thinking, ‘This is my chance’, and not knowing if you will get another one. People can hide a lot and I would if I was in his [Norris’] position.
“The pressure of getting it over the line is in the back of his mind. He is more affected by it when someone says something negative but every person is different. I don’t care. I am like, ‘Whatever, you can say what you want’. When you have won four world championships already, it is amazing and I shouldn’t be in the fight really but I am here.”
If the nerves are indeed jangling for Norris, he has done a decent job of masking it in recent weeks. Before that disqualification in Las Vegas, where he had finished second on track, the Brit won back-to-back Grands Prix in Mexico and Brazil which cemented his status as the front-runner in the title fight, while previously unflappable team-mate Piastri has wilted over the last couple of months.
Speaking ahead of the Qatar weekend, Norris said he feels calm about the situation and insisted mind games from rivals, perhaps like these new comments from Verstappen, will not work on him. The Brit said: “How I am now feels the same as before Mexico when I wasn’t leading, and the same as Austin when I felt good in the car but Max still won the race.
“I really don’t feel any different in the car, from before I was leading to now that I am leading… I feel as relaxed as I was before when I was 35 points behind and I feel the same when I’m 24 points ahead, so that’s my strength for now.
“For me, no mind games – I don’t think it really affects me at all. I’m happy for other people to waste their energy on thinking of things, but I don’t see any of it so I’m fine.”
