Lando Norris on Max Verstappen title fight: ‘He’ll be close behind for a long time’

Lando Norris is adamant that Max Verstappen will remain in F1 title contention despite Red Bull’s struggles.

Verstappen returned to winning ways last time out, beating the two McLarens to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Dutchman’s win at Suzuka means he’s just one point behind in the F1 drivers’ standings after three rounds.

McLaren have started the year with the fastest car and comfortably lead the F1 constructors’ championship.

Assessing Mclaren’s start to the season, Norris told Sky Sports ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix: “I mean it’s been a good start. I am still leading. Of course, could things have been slightly better?

“Yes but they’re not. Max and Red Bull have done a good job in a car that they say they’ve been struggling with. But for the same case we know our struggles, we know how tricky our car is to drive. It is quick and we acknowledge all of these things and stuff people say.

“We’ve also made some mistakes and we know we have to improve in certain areas. It’s still a long season. We’re at round for now. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves but we also know we have a long way to go with a lot of work to do on this car before we can focus on next year.

“I guess I’ve had some great results especially in the main races. I lost a few points and a few in the sprint race in China.”

McLaren “need to do better”

It’s not been a perfect season for Norris and McLaren.

Norris has been vocal about his struggle with handling this year’s McLaren challenger, especially over one lap.

Norris was well beaten by Oscar Piastri throughout the weekend in China.

While he finished ahead of his teammate in Japan, Piastri seemed to have the edge on pace.

With Verstappen expected to remain a consistent threat throughout the season, Norris knows that improvements are still needed.

“It’s been a good start but there’s still plenty of opportunities for us to improve and still to do better than we have been doing,” Norris added.

“We need to do better because like you said, Max is close behind and I am sure he’s going to be behind and close behind for a long time.”