Lando Norris believes he can still challenge Max Verstappen for the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, despite acknowledging that his performance this season hasn't been up to the standard required to beat the Red Bull charger.
With ten rounds remaining on the docket, Norris finds himself second in F1’s Drivers’ championship, but 78 points behind Verstappen.
While the Briton has taken advantage of McLaren’s consistency this year to position himself as his rival’s closest opponent, Norris also admitted to several missed opportunities, particularly in Belgium last time out, where Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty could have provided an opening for the McLaren driver to close the gap.
Overall, the 24-year-old conceded that he hasn't been operating at the level of a champion but he remains determined to improve.
“I’m fighting for a championship, so I’m not going to be happy if I’m not performing at the level that I need to beat Max and to beat Red Bull and the other drivers that I need to be beating,” he says, speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“I think it’s still the same, I’m still very happy with how the season’s gone, but too many mistakes and a few too many points given away, which is not the level I need to be at if I want to fight for a championship at the end of the day and to fight against a driver like Max.
“So plenty of things I’ve looked into and I’ve had to work on and I’m much stronger.”
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One area Norris identified as needing improvement is his performance during the opening laps of races, where sluggish starts have cost him potential victories in Belgium, Hungary, and Spain.
“I mean it’s a mixture of things, but it starts in lap one,” he noted. “Again, not like a single thing I need to change, honestly.
“But that’s where most of my opportunities have gone away from. After lap one onwards, generally the races have been very strong and the pace has still been very good.
“Race pace has been good, strategy I’ve been very happy with.
“So there’s still so many strong things, but always overshadowed by having a bad start or a bad turn one or being a bit safe at times, trying to stay out of trouble, things like that.
“So not a huge amount, but also not certain things, not easy ones to just guarantee a perfect change on.”
Known for being his own toughest critic, Norris believes it's only fair to hold himself accountable when he doesn't meet the high expectations he has established for himself, especially given his ambition to compete at the highest level in Formula 1.
“After the first half of the season, I’ve not performed at the level of a World Champion. Simple as that,” he stated. “I’ve not performed at the level I need to.
“At certain times, I have. Many races, I have done. But also little things have just let me down along the way and those are things I cannot afford to let down. But I know that.
“I’m not happy with it. I’ve shown in the past, I’ve shown in the last few races, I’m not happy when I’ve not been at the level I need to be at.
“But that’s just because I’m passionate and I want to win.
“Finding that line of not judging a driver for being passionate and wanting to win and not being happy with not winning, that’s what the athletes do. That’s what we want.
“We work hard to go out and do our best and not make mistakes and to try and win.
“And when we don’t do that as an athlete, we’re not going to be happy. We’re not going to be satisfied with our own job.
“That’s the simple thing, what I’ve not been happy with over the course of the season. It’s what I’m working very hard to try and improve.”
Looking ahead, Norris is not ready to concede the title to Verstappen, even with the significant points deficit.
“As a driver of course it’s still in reach, but it’s a lot of points and it’s against Max. So I want to be optimistic and say there’s still chances,” he said.
“I know it’s a lot and it’s going to be a very difficult challenge, but with how we’re performing, with how I know I can go out and perform when things click and things go well, then I still want to believe it’s possible.”
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