Lando Norris sees Max Verstappen as a ‘genuine’ contender to land another title

Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen is now a “genuine” contender for the world championship but insisted McLaren will not have to make team-mate Oscar Piastri their number one.

Back-to-back victories for Verstappen sees him head into this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix 69 points behind Piastri, with 199 points still to play for over the remaining seven rounds.

Piastri crashed out of the last round in Azerbaijan while Norris started and finished seventh.

“He is genuinely a challenger,” said Norris of the four-time world champion.

“If you go back to the beginning of the season they were challenging us for the first six or seven races for wins, then we brought some upgrades and improved a little bit.

“But then they brought a couple of upgrades and that has put them on the same level. We are still expecting to dominate and we come to these races with the goal and ambition of winning and wanting to dominate and continue the form we have shown all season.

“But in Baku we had the car to win and we didn’t. We had the chance to fight Max. At the round before in Monza they were too quick for us. And if there are some races coming up where he is too fast, which is very possible, because I expect them to be quick for many of the races this season…

“We will go to Las Vegas and other low-downforce tracks where we don’t expect to be as great as we have been – so that is an opportunity for Red Bull – but we are just focusing on ourselves and maximising our performances.”

Norris is 25 points behind Piastri in the title race and when asked if he is concerned McLaren will have to prioritise one of their stars to fend off Verstappen and land a first drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton won for the British team in 2008, Norris snapped back: “I am very concerned. I am very worried about it. And scared frankly. I am happy you asked that. No.”

At this stage last year, Verstappen was protecting a 59-point lead over Norris before he sewed up his fourth consecutive title with three races remaining.

“I have nothing to lose really,” said Verstappen when reflecting on his championship hopes in Singapore. “And as a team, we approach it like that, too.

“Sixty-nine points is still a lot especially when you look at how the season has gone so far, and McLaren have been incredibly dominant. That doesn’t suddenly change.

“But I am not too stressed about anything. I am enjoying what I am doing in F1 and outside of F1 and trying to do the best I can every time I jump into the car.

“Some tracks will be better, some worse, and this could be one of those. But if we win it, great, and if we don’t we don’t. Life goes on.

“If we can win a few more races that would be nice, and if that means we still didn’t win the world championship then so be it.”