Verstappen Taunts - Norris Responds: Winning Wasn’t That Simple

After Verstappen’s bold claim about McLaren’s car, Norris counters, insisting the 2024 title wasn’t as easy as Verstappen suggests.

Lando Norris has already dismissed Max Verstappen’s claims that he could have won the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship even earlier if driving the McLaren in 2024 (read here).

The Dutchman built a substantial lead over the Briton with four wins in the first five races, but Red Bull’s competitiveness allowed McLaren to regain momentum.

Although McLaren and Norris managed to close the gap gradually throughout the season, several mistakes enabled Verstappen to maintain breathing room and manage his Drivers’ title.

Verstappen insisted the title would have been secured earlier with McLaren’s MCL38 at his disposal, arguing that Red Bull’s RB20 wasn’t the fastest car for 70% of the 2024 season.

“No, that’s certainly not true.”

“I mean, nobody in Formula 1 history has ever come back from as big a deficit as mine. Nobody. Ever.”

“And there have been much larger performance differences between cars in the past than there are today.”

“The advantage they [Red Bull] had over everyone at the start of the season was far greater than ours later.”

Norris praised Verstappen as a driver without weaknesses, acknowledging he might have had a better chance of winning the title if faced with someone else.

“I think if it were any other driver—not just any driver, but if it wasn’t Max and Red Bull—I think my chances would have been much higher.”

McLaren’s rapid progress is positioning Norris to have an F1 car capable of competing from the start of next season.

“That’s true. But there’s also the human factor. And this year has been a stronger year for me than last year. My growth this year has probably been greater than in the past few years.”

“I think since the summer break, I’ve still made mistakes here and there, don’t get me wrong.”

“But everyone makes mistakes at times, even world champions. Still, I believe I’ve driven at the level I need to.”

When asked if that level was enough to secure the championship in 2025 with a competitive car, Norris concluded: “I think so. Let’s try to maintain this strong foundation with next year’s car.”