Norris 'had a feeling' about the 2024 season despite just missing the title
F1 News
- Estéban den Toom
Lando Norris was Max Verstappen's main challenger in the 2024 drivers' championship battle during the past Formula 1 season. But due to Verstappen's masterful drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix that all but sealed the title for the Dutchman, the Englishman could not get the job done. However, the McLaren driver said he "could smell" the championship as he tried to close down to Verstappen.
Despite Verstappen being better than Norris throughout the season, leading to the Red Bull Racing driver sealing the championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren could still celebrate after they won the constructors' title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix thanks to a fine drive from Norris himself. The Brit was extremely pleased with the end of the season, but the drivers' championship is really what it is all about, something he got a smell of in 2024.
Norris knows the driver's title is "within reach"
"And for myself, as much as I want to win the Constructors every single year, I also want the selfish one, the Drivers' Championship," said Norris in a live-streamed interview on the Mastercard YouTube channel. "And you need a good team behind you, and I think that's exactly what I've got. I came close-ish last year, I was still always a bit far behind, but I had like, I could smell it, let's say."
Norris got a brief taste of what it was like at the top of the world championship standings, and the Bristol-born driver is convinced he has made, and will still make great strides. "I had that feeling of like, 'Well, okay, this is kind of what it's like. It's within reach.' This year, I need to fix a few things, work on some things, and come back stronger, and that's what I'm ready to do," Norris concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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