Lando Norris has reacted to Max Verstappen’s comments suggesting that he could have won the World Championship if he had been driving for McLaren instead of Red Bull. Verstappen made the claim following his victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he wrapped up his third consecutive title. He stated that if he had been in McLaren’s car, he would have clinched the title much earlier, suggesting that the McLaren was the faster car for much of the season, and he could have done “pretty much the same” in a Ferrari.
Norris, however, disagrees with Verstappen’s assertion, dismissing it as “not true.” He responded, “He can say whatever he wants. Of course I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good, but yeah, it’s not true.” While Norris acknowledged Verstappen’s abilities, he made it clear that such claims were unrealistic. “I know what Max is capable of doing and I like his confidence, but I can say whatever. Not possible,” he added.
Norris admitted that McLaren had a faster car than Red Bull for more than half of the 2024 season but pointed out that Verstappen had already built a significant lead earlier in the year when Red Bull was dominant. Verstappen won four of the first five races, while McLaren was far slower at that point. Norris explained, “For the majority of the season we’ve had a better car than Red Bull but when I’ve been winning he was second, third, when he was winning, I was fifth, sixth.”
Despite this, Norris remains optimistic about McLaren’s future. He believes that while he didn’t deserve the title this year, 2025 will be different. “I’m confident that for the first time in my career, we will go into a year with the thought of challenging for the title. We didn’t expect it this year,” he said.
The McLaren has been quicker in the second half of the season, outqualifying Red Bull by an average of 0.124 seconds, a significant improvement over earlier in the year when Red Bull had an advantage of 0.23 seconds in qualifying times. However, Verstappen’s average qualifying position of 2.5 still trumps Norris’ 3.7, and the Red Bull driver has dominated his teammate, Sergio Perez, while Norris faces competition from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who has secured two wins to Norris’ three.
Norris also commented on Verstappen’s advantage of not having a teammate who could push him, as Perez has struggled throughout the year. Norris praised Verstappen’s ability to perform consistently without internal team pressure but noted that this also gave Verstappen some comfort. “He doesn’t have someone who is trying other things with the car… It’s a lot harder when you don’t have someone who is performing at the same level,” he said.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also weighed in on Verstappen’s claims, acknowledging the Dutch driver’s remarkable skill but questioning the validity of his comments. “What makes him special is also the confidence that he has,” Leclerc said. However, he added that Verstappen’s perspective on the other cars was limited. “He doesn’t know how the Ferrari is,” Leclerc noted, suggesting that it’s hard to assess the potential of different cars without firsthand experience.
As the season nears its end, McLaren is 24 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, with 103 points still up for grabs. McLaren is hoping for its first constructors’ title since 1998, while Ferrari aims to win its first since 2008. Red Bull is currently in third place, 53 points behind McLaren.
