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Polsesitter Norris aware of Verstappen's looming threat: 'Max is Max!'
Despite securing pole position for the United States Grand Prix, Lando Norris is well aware of the threat Max Verstappen poses behind him. The two have been battling for the 2024 title, and Norris will be looking to secure a crucial victory in Texas in order to cut down Max Verstappen's 54-point championship lead. The Brit looked ahead to the important Grand Prix in the post-qualifying press conference.
Norris secured his seventh career pole on Saturday after finishing third in the sprint race just a few hours before. He was passed in the late stages of the race by Carlos Sainz, and he appeared to struggle more than those around him at this stage of the race. His turn-one lock-up was tough viewing for those who support the McLaren driver. On the other hand, Verstappen secured a comfortable victory, putting him on the top step of the podium since winning the the Sprint of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris was asked about the issues he'd faced during the sprint race in the post-qualifying press conference: "I mean quite a big one (lock-up). I don't want to do it again, so we'll see. I don’t think it was as bad as what it was. I think certain events led to such a thing. I think we improved the car quite a bit, and we were definitely not contending anywhere close to the pole yesterday, and today we kind of did," Norris began. Qualifying was interrupted after George Russell crashed in Q3, which meant drivers were unable to complete their final runs.
Norris: 'McLaren has caught up compared to yesterday'
"I think we're still a bit off, but we're in a good position, you know, so I think actually our pace relative to Max over yesterday and today would be a bit more similar. I probably expected the Ferraris and Mercedes to be better today, but maybe they just got a bit more out of the car earlier on in the weekend, and we've been able to just take a bigger step forward between the sprint and now, so maybe we've caught up a bit," he continued. The Ferrari's start in third and fourth place behind Max Verstappen. Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri will leave the line just behind them in fifth place.
'Max is Max, but I'm excited!'
"But it’s going to be a tough race, I mean, Ferrari was very quick in the race today with degradation. Max is Max, I always said that Max, Max, and uh, they're gonna be fast, so I'm excited. I think it's gonna be a good battle and probably a good one to watch all right, looking forward to it," Norris concluded.
A big win in Austin will seriously bolster the Brit's drivers' championship hopes. McLaren currently sits 39 points in front of Red Bull in the constructor's standings heading into the race at COTA.
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