After a title fight against Max Verstappen, Lando Norris finished in second place in the drivers' championship. Received the award for finishing in P2 in the individual standings and celebrating McLaren's constructors' title in Rwanda at the FIA Gala, the Briton admitted he did not believe he was close enough at all to the Dutchman.
On the red carpet at the FIA Gala, Sky Sports analyst asked Lando Norris about the title fight. She told the Briton: "We thought you were going clinch that title." However Norris saw that otherwise. "No, I was never close enough to Max. I think if anyone thought if I was going to get it, it was a little bit far-fetched. But at the same time, we tried for as long as possible. And I tried," the McLaren driver answered.
Big party for Norris and McLaren in Rwanda
Second place was the maximum possible for Norris, who did manage to win the constructors' title with Mclaren. That led to a big party in Abu Dhabi last weekend. The champagne could also be uncorked in Rwanda, where the trophies actually came into the hands of the McLaren men.
While Norris finished second in the individual standings, together with Oscar Piastri, McLaren managed to win the constructors' title in 2024, therefore, a celebration awaits the Briton as well. "Happy to celebrate of course, we're going be celebrating a lot tonight as a team especially. I [haven't been] in a prize giving, an FIA prize giving in a long time. So first of all happy to be here, but I'm happy to be here even more because we're celebrating something special," he concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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