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Norris reveals: 'Knew Red Bull were not our biggest competitors'

2 November at 13:50

Every F1 weekend is the most important in Lando Norris's F1 career, as the McLaren driver is fighting for the world title. Against Max Verstappen, the Briton has to cut the gap significantly, as he trails by 47 points in the standings.

Norris knew Ferrari would improve

After the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren have been pushing the previous dominant team, Red Bull Racing, but occasionally Ferrari could also show their power. Now, the Italians have won the last two F1 Grands Prix.

"Our battle with Ferrari and the Constructors has been evidenced 10 races ago. It's clear that the momentum McLaren and Ferrari had was way more than Red Bull. So Ferrari have been our biggest competitor since probably nine, ten races ago already. They were the guys we knew at the end of the year would be fighting, not Red Bull. But, from a Constructors' point of view, Red Bull have a much bigger job to do now," Norris about Ferrari.

"They can afford to take much bigger risks and do these types of things and hope that they pay off. But I think we've been doing a good job, like I just said, staying out of trouble, keeping the cars clean. I think we've had a couple of unlucky weekends, both from either my side or Oscar's side, like last weekend. But we have to do a better job, especially against Ferrari. We need two cars up there fighting every weekend if we want to keep them behind," the Briton added.

Still, Norris does not rule out Verstappen either, his drivers' championship rival. According to the McLaren driver, he has to face one of the most talented drivers ever. "I’ve not spoken to Max, it's not something I need to speak to Max about. Max is probably one of the most capable drivers on the grid, if not the most. And he knows what he can and can't do and where the limits are. He knows the changes he has to make."

This article was written in collaboration with Jeroen Immink


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