Lando Norris thought he had a shot at his first world title, but in the end Max Verstappen seems likely to be the World Champion in 2024. Looking back on the almost finished season, Norris had chances to win more races, but in Canada or Britain, for example, strategic mistakes cost him and McLaren dearly. And Norris knows that is exactly what you should not do against Max Verstappen.
Every little hiccup is being mercilessly punished by the Dutchman and his Red Bull Racing team, Norris told The Race. “The thing is suddenly I’m fighting them for a win,” said the McLaren driver. “So not doing a perfect job against these drivers, mainly Max in this case, means I win a race or I don’t and therefore it hurts a bit more and it feels like there’s a bigger effect to it all.”
How did Norris deal with the criticism
Norris has noticed changes since competing at the sharp end of Formula 1. “You win, suddenly you have a lot more praise. You do one mistake, you suddenly have a lot more criticism. Both are compliments in ways, and I’ve enjoyed both of them,” he said.
But Norris has also had to pay a price for imperfection at certain times. “More so in terms of a championship point of view when I’ve not done things to the correct level. You get punished more at the top when things don’t go right than you do when you’re more midfield.”
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton
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