F1 News: Lando Norris Admits Crushing Defeat to Verstappen - 'He Has No Weakness

Saajan Jogia | 3 Hours Ago

Nov 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (4) during media availabilities at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

McLaren driver Lando Norris has admitted his disappointment at falling short in the championship battle against Max Verstappen. Despite this, the Briton congratulated Verstappen and commended his phenomenal performance throughout the intense 2024 season, which secured the Dutchman his fourth championship title.

Red Bull dominated the early stages of the 2024 season, with the Dutchman securing seven wins in the first ten Grands Prix, building a substantial lead in the Drivers' Standings. However, McLaren soon mounted a strong resurgence, while Red Bull faced a decline in performance.

With this advantage, Norris closed in on Verstappen as each race went by, leaving the impression that the championship battle would be down to the last race in Abu Dhabi. However, Verstappen soon bounced back in Brazil, where he recovered from 17th place during the wet and tricky race at Interlagos to secure victory by a margin of over 19 seconds.

To remain in the championship battle, Norris had to ensure he finished ahead of Verstappen in Las Vegas. However, the reverse happened, which led Verstappen to win the title. Speaking to the media after the race on the Strip, the McLaren driver said:

“Congrats to Max – I’m disappointed I’m out of it, but Max deserved to win it.

“He drove a better season than I did, he deserved it more than anyone else, Max just doesn’t have a weakness.

“When he’s got the best car he dominates and when he’s not got the best car he’s still just there always, always there to make your life tough and difficult.

“He drove a very good year, can’t fault him. This weekend’s been dreadful from us, we couldn’t even put up a fight against Max, something I would have loved to have done today, but congrats to him for what he’s achieved.”

Both Ferrari drivers outpaced the McLaren duo in the race, significantly narrowing the gap in the Constructors' Championship. To mitigate the damage, Norris pitted for soft tires in the final two laps, successfully setting the fastest lap to secure an additional point. As a result, the gap between McLaren and second-placed Ferrari is now down to just 24 points. Norris added:

“I think we had to get everything out of it today, every point is going to matter at the end of the season as Ferrari are performing well.

“But I’m hoping this weekend is a bit of an anomaly for us and we return a bit more back to our usual [pace] the next weekends. I don’t think our usual is quickest necessarily, I think it’s been us, Ferrari, Mercedes, Red bull, no-one knows who’ll be on top next weekend or the weekend after.

“It’s exciting for you guys, stressful and makes our life tough, and mine behind the wheel! But we’ll keep fighting, we have to, I think it’s [the Constructors’ fight] very much alive still, I’m confident we can still do it, but it’s not going to be easy by any means.”