Why Norris believes season will still be "successful" without an F1 title

Norris finds himself in the title fight for the first time in his (still) relatively short Formula 1 career. But it's a tall order for the 24-year-old. He must bridge a 52-point gap to Verstappen with just six Grands Prix and three sprint races remaining. Even if he wins every race, Verstappen could still end up calling himself a four-time World Champion when the chequered flag drops.

Will Norris consider it to be a failure without winning the championship?

Norris thought about the possible outcomes ahead of the United States Grand Prix. "I think it's still been a good year which I've enjoyed. It's tough because you never know. There's always things, no matter what year you're in, you think you could have done this a bit better, you could have done that better, and even where I am now, there's already things I go, ‘Damn, if only I did this or that.’," Norris said.

"I'm not going to say where, but different scenarios when if I lose the championship by a couple points that I can easily look at and go, ‘I made, probably, a wrong decision here’, and I could have lost it. But if I win it by one point, I'm sure there'll be things that Max says which are like, ‘Oh, I probably lost it here as well.’  It's easy to come up with excuses and reasons for things. If I finish second, it's because Red Bull and Max have done a better job. That's my only answer for it," Norris added.

Red Bull completed one of the most dominant seasons in F1's history in 2023. They won every race, apart from one which was won by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. The Austrian team also started 2024 in fine form. They secured three one-two finishes in the opening four races, and Verstappen won seven out of the first ten. Norris was keen to highlight how McLaren have managed to close the gap when everyone expected another "easy" ride for Verstappen.

"For that not to be the case after the gap that they had after round one, and not even to come from Ferrari as the main contender, but from us, a team that was probably fourth at the start of the year, I think it's still a year to be proud of. But as the season goes on, you always re-evaluate where do we stand now, and what's our new expectations," Norris continued.

"Our expectations now, and actually for a while, have been that we're a top team, and we're fighting for wins, and we're fighting for a Constructors' championship, and we're fighting for a Drivers' Championship. So just as much as it can go wrong, it can also go well, like it has done for us. We're fighting against the best of the best, and it's been a fun year. I think no matter what, it's still been a successful season. I'm sure I'll be happier with a win than if it was for second," Norris concluded.

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