'Stop admitting inferiority to Verstappen' Patrick on Norris' title hopes
F1 News
Lando Norris is currently chasing an unlikely first-world championship. He currently sits 47 points behind Max Verstappen in the World Driver's Championship despite having had a faster car for the majority of the season. Danica Patrick, IndyCar's only female winner, believes Norris needs a change in mindset if he wants a chance to beat the Dutchman, who is chasing his fourth consecutive title.
'Needs to picture himself as the aggressor'
In the build-up to last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, Norris admitted he is "not quite at the level" of Max Verstappen. Danica Patrick believes that whilst Verstappen is undoubtedly the superior driver at the moment, Norris needs a change in mindset if he wants to take an unlikely driver's title. She told Sky Sports F1 "Maybe just don't say that anymore, I think that's the approach he needs to have."
The American continued: "He needs to sort of picture himself as the aggressor, as the best driver. The problem is that Max has so many wins compared to him, so that's always in the back of your mind."
Verstappen beat Norris to a controversial podium in Austin after Norris was penalised for leaving the track during his battle with Verstappen. Fortunes changed in Mexico, with Verstappen receiving a 20-second time penalty for two moves against Norris, which meant Verstappen finished down in P6 whilst Norris claimed P2.
Patrick, who took victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300 and is still the only woman to have won an IndyCar Series race, also added, "Lando is consistently having great results and becoming more of that driver that we're looking at for wins, so I think his own narrative will probably change a little bit."
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