Lando Norris has fired back at Max Verstappen following the Red Bull driver’s provocative claim that he would have “easily” won the world championship if driving McLaren’s car. As the Formula 1 season nears its climax at the Qatar Grand Prix, tensions between the drivers are rising.
On the Saturday sprint race, Oscar Piastri capitalized on a late mistake by Norris during qualifying, securing pole position and claiming victory in the sprint, cutting Norris’ championship lead from 24 to 22 points. Verstappen finished behind Norris in third but remains in the title hunt, now 25 points behind the British driver.
Norris responded to Verstappen’s comments by acknowledging the Dutchman’s remarkable success, including four world championships, but dismissed his jibe as “talking nonsense.” Norris said, “Max has earned the right to say what he wants because of his achievements, but there are plenty of things he doesn’t quite understand — including how we at McLaren approach things. We keep our heads down and focus, rather than get caught up in the noise.”
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The penultimate race weekend has intensified the championship battle. Norris’s error in Friday’s qualifying, running wide and aborting his final lap, enabled Piastri to claim pole by a narrow margin of 0.108 seconds. In the sprint, Piastri delivered a composed performance to secure his first win since the Dutch Grand Prix, narrowing the gap in the standings and injecting fresh energy into the title fight.
During the race, Norris narrowly avoided a collision at the first corner while Verstappen tried aggressively to advance, even attempting a bold move on Fernando Alonso. Verstappen’s complaints over radio about car handling contrasted with Norris steadily pulling away to extend his lead over Verstappen by over a second.
The championship remains finely balanced. Norris will clinch his first world title if he outperforms Piastri by four points and finishes ahead of Verstappen on Sunday. Meanwhile, Verstappen is doing everything he can to keep his hopes alive as the season edges toward its dramatic conclusion.