LAS VEGAS — Lando Norris labelled Max Verstappen “perfect” after his fourth world championship and said he feels confident he can beat the Dutchman to a world title in 2025 if the oppportunity presents itself.
Verstappen clinched his fourth title with fifth place in Las Vegas, finishing ahead of Norris as he needed to.
Norris’ breakout season, which has seen him claim three wins, saw him as an outsider in the title fight for a few months.
Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races but then just one in the second half of the season, something Norris highlighted in his praise of the Red Bull driver.
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Max Verstappen celebrates fourth consecutive World Championship
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says he ‘never thought it was possible’ as he claims the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship for the fourth time in a row at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Massive congrats to him,” Norris said on Verstappen’s title. “He’s deserved it. He’s not put a foot wrong, really, the whole year. So that’s strength of his, he has no bad… he has no downsides. He has no negatives.
“When he’s had the quickest car, he dominated races. When he’s not in the quickest car, he’s still been just behind us and almost winning the races anyway. So he’s just not had a bad side to him. He’s not had any bad races the whole year. You know, his worst was like a fifth or something. He just drove as Max has always driven, which is perfectly. And can’t fault him anywhere.”
Norris has been criticised in some quarters for his approach to the battle against Verstappen, with some suggesting he has not been ruthless enough in the fight. But the British driver said there have been important lessons in his season going forward.
“A lot more positives and negatives. That’s for sure. I feel like I can fight for a championship and I’m happy, and I can say that confidently. I have what it takes, and I know that deep down that I have what it takes. I have some things to work on still, for sure, but I can fight against Max, and I’ll be happy to say that, because I think Max is the best driver in the world, and probably one of the best drivers that’s ever been in Formula 1.
“Some people might disagree, but I’m quite confident when I say that, which is rare. So for me to put up a fight against him and to go wheel to wheel is something I love, I enjoy.
“I’ll probably look back on a lot in 20 years or 30 years that I fought such a driver. So you know, I’m happy for him. He deserves the championship, but hopefully I can upset him more next year.”
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