Lando Norris said Max Verstappen “should start doing comedy” amid claims he’d have won his fourth world title earlier on in the 2024 Formula 1 season at the wheel of a McLaren.
Verstappen had to dig deep to clinch his fourth title this year, going on a winless run of 10 races between his Spanish and Sao Paulo Grands Prix triumphs.
As he combated balance issues with his Red Bull RB20, Norris and McLaren developed into true title contenders.
Such is the overall competitiveness of the McLaren MCL38 that Verstappen told De Telegraaf that he’d have won the title “a lot sooner” racing in papaya.
“He should start doing comedy or something,” Norris said in response ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
“He can say whatever he wants. Of course, I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good, but, yeah, it’s not true.”
Norris isn’t the only one to refute that claim, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc commenting “it’s very difficult to say something like that not knowing actually what the car is like.
“So, it’s maybe a bit of a stretch to say something like that.”
Red Bull would have won F1 Constructors’ title with level team-mates, says Norris
Verstappen’s achievement in 2024 is made even more remarkable by the fact Red Bull is sitting third in the Constructors’ standings.
If the Constructors’ table finishes like it currently stands, the Dutchman will be the first F1 Drivers’ Champion for a team third or lower in the Constructors’ since Nelson Piquet won the title with Brabham in 1983.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez is eighth in the Drivers’ standings, 251 points behind Verstappen.
Norris exclaimed “Red Bull probably would have won the constructors’ If they had two drivers as good as Max, that’s for sure.
“That’s clear. That’s obvious. It shows that as a team they’ve still probably done the best job. It’s tough.
“Max has proved with everybody that he’s gone up against, he’s beaten. That’s tough for any team-mate.
“It’s got nothing to do with me. I don’t care. He can have any team-mate he wants.”
This tallies with Norris’ view that Red Bull’s problems in 2024 didn’t amount to McLaren’s at the start of the campaign.
“We were the fourth-best team at the beginning of the year,” Norris argued.
“Red Bull have never been the fourth-best team, or worst let’s say, ever.”
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