Lando Norris ready for stressful end to the season as title bid ramps up

18.10.2024 - 15:59 breakingnews.ie

Lando Norris admits he is braced for a stressful and nervous end to the season as he bids to dethrone Max Verstappen as world champion.

The McLaren driver heads into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin 52 points adrift of Red Bull’s Verstappen with six rounds and 180 points still to play for.

Norris claimed the most emphatic win of his career at the previous round in Singapore and he has taken 26 points out of Verstappen’s title lead in the last four races.

But the 24-year-old, now in his sixth season on the Formula One grid, also revealed he is still adapting to the spotlight of contending for the world crown. ☝️ pic.twitter.com/S8dxUQ2TjK — McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 22, 2024 “I am always going to find it odd,” he said. “Maybe it will take a few more years to settle in because I still don’t feel it was that long ago that I was watching it on TV and seeing the likes of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and all of those guys, and now I am in that position. “So, 100 per cent, fighting for the championship brings a lot more focus and we are in a position that we have worked very hard to be in. “I am still relaxed but there is more pressure and a few more nerves and I am sure it is going to get pretty stressful later in the season and trickier, that is for sure.

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Carlos Sainz cruised to an emotional victory for Ferrari ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in Sunday's incident-filled Mexico City Grand Prix as Red Bull's series leader Max Verstappen was handed two 10-second penalties on his way to sixth. The stewards took a dim view of Verstappen's aggressive driving, the Red Bull driver twice forcing his title rival Norris off the track. Norris grabbed second from Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari near the finish as the Briton enjoyed a major boost in his quest to deny Verstappen a fourth consecutive world championship.

Verstappen penalties set a precedent for F1, says Wolff

MEXICO CITY : Formula One stewards set a precedent in punishing Max Verstappen in Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix and the penalties will change how drivers go racing, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

Sainz wins in Mexico, Norris closes gap to penalised Verstappen

MEXICO CITY :Ferrari's Carlos Sainz took an emotional win in the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday after Red Bull's Formula One leader Max Verstappen was twice penalised for clashes with title rival Lando Norris and finished sixth.

Sainz beats Norris to Mexico win as Verstappen penalised

MEXICO CITY :Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday after Red Bull's Formula One leader Max Verstappen was twice punished for his driving against title rival Lando Norris and finished sixth.

Lando Norris Says 'I'll Do What I Think Is Right' In Max Verstappen Battle

A defiant Lando Norris said he will "do what I think is right" as his battle with Max Verstappen for the Formula One world title intensifies. Speaking to reporters ahead of this Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix, the McLaren driver remained adamant that he felt harshly treated at last weekend's United States Grand Prix where he was penalised and dropped from third to fourth behind the three-time world champion. "Max didn't care if he won or if he was second or third," said Norris.

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris Set For Another Duel

Championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris set up the prospect of another spectacular duel in Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix when they qualified second and third on Saturday. Both drivers declared themselves satisfied with their starting positions -- and both know they will be on their own as their Red Bull and McLaren teams' second drivers Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri failed to qualify in the top half of the grid. "I wasn't sure it would be possible to be on the front row," said three-time champion and series leader Verstappen, whose first fastest lap in Q3 was deleted because he exceeded track limits.