Lando Norris returns to racing after winning his first Formula 1 race, confident he and his McLaren team have what it takes to start challenging Max Verstappen for the world title title.
Norris took his maiden F1 win on his 110th attempt at the final round in Miami, driving a car that had been racing even before the world champion’s Red Bull was damaged after McLaren’s in-race upgrades. The fastest car on the road.
In the build-up to this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Norris has been buoyed by the car’s performance and the team’s progress and feels he has what it takes to compete with Verstappen, who has been dominant in 2024.
“Does that make me more hopeful about challenging them? 100 percent,” he said. “We had upgrades in Miami and that helped us, but even without the upgrades we would have been good there.”
Norris trails Verstappen by 53 points in the world championship with six rounds completed. F1 heads into Imola’s European season, a track where McLaren is expected to perform strongly and Norris believes they will once again show their strength. state.
“We’re getting closer and I know once we solve some of the problems we have, we can challenge them,” he said. “I think we are the third-best team behind Red Bull and Ferrari, but if we have another good weekend here that could change.
“I believe that at the rate we are developing, better than any other team, by next year we can challenge for wins and, in the big picture, hopefully challenge for the championship.”
Norris also revealed that he was very excited to celebrate his first victory. He stayed up all night in Miami on race Sunday to enjoy the win with other drivers, including Verstappen, then flew to Augusta, Ga., to play golf before finally sleeping for the first time on Monday night.
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“I had a great night with some riders, friends and some team members,” he said. “Everyone drank a little bit and had a good time, and I think that’s definitely allowed and acceptable.
“I went straight from there to Augusta and played in Augusta. I didn’t wake up until Tuesday morning and the first time I went to bed was Monday night, so it was a long couple of days, but it was all worth it .
