Lando Norris has conceded he was not ready to battle with Max Verstappen for the Formula 1 championship title at the start of the season, Afrosport reports.
Following a slow start to season, Norris became Verstappen’s nearest challenger from the middle of the season, scoring more points and closing the gap to than 45 points after winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race.
Verstappen however won the Sao Paulo main race in grand style to extend his lead to 62 points and can clinch his fourth straight title this weekend in Las Vegas if he finishes ahead of Norris.
Reflecting on this season’s form, Norris said: “There are times where as a team we didn’t perform at the level we needed to do as a world championship winning team but there’s also been plenty of times when I’ve not performed at the level I need to perform at to win a championship.
“I probably wasn’t outright ready to go up against Red Bull and Max. I think I am now, and it’s probably too late to do that.”
He added: “Maybe there are other drivers in the past that were ready for such an occasion. But no one has gone up against Max so early on in kind of their career, halfway through the season, and put up, I think, a pretty reasonable fight. I mean, I’m there, but there’s no one else doing it, you know? So I’ve done my best. I’ve not done well enough.
“And I’ve always admitted that. And I think Max is probably one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1 and I don’t think you’ll probably get a much better driver than Max ever in Formula 1 ever again.
“That’s my opinion but that’s what I believe in and for me to go up against that belief, to fight against that person that I know is so good, Takes a bit more than what I probably achieved this season, but I think what I’ve done since the summer break is closer to what I need to be, and I think that is close to being good enough to fighting for it next year.”
Ready. Set. Vegas. 🌃#LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/uhMafL3dEe
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 22, 2024
After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the 2024 F1 calendar has two more rounds of racing to go in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
