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Fierce rivals on the track and close friends away from it, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen find themselves in quite a predicament in the battle for the F1 championship. With on-track battles continuing between the two, Norris believes the championship fight will be extremely difficult. However, he hopes things will remain friendly outside the paddock with Verstappen.
“Can you fight for an F1 title with a good friend?” was the question put to Norris by RacingNews365. The British driver said all he could do was be best prepared for the situation. “To be honest, I don’t think I can answer that question. I’ve only just got into this situation. There are things you learn when you experience it.”, he stated.
The McLaren driver added that given he had never been in a situation like this before. “It’s a situation I don’t know and I haven’t experienced before. But I think it would be very difficult”.
For the first time in their careers, Norris and Verstappen collided with each other at the Austrian GP. The aftermath of that collision saw intense exchange between the two friends in the post-race interviews. While they have sorted out their grievances, it is evident that the ongoing title battle can produce issues between the duo.
As things stand, 78 points separate Verstappen and Norris at the top of the driver standings. With 10 races left in the season, the #4 driver will need a massive push to overtake his Dutch friend to halt his championship streak. And the 24-year-old is confident he can complete the task, provided he has McLaren backing him.
Norris needs McLaren’s support to fight for the world championship
Following a 1-2 finish in Hungary, Norris was able to cut Verstappen’s finish down to 76. Had he not let Oscar Piastri through, the #4 driver would have added seven more points to his tally, bringing the gap further down. Wanting to reduce the lead more, Norris hoped his team would replicate the performance in the races to come.
Revisiting his words from last year, the Brit claimed that his team had started winning races, and that’s precisely what he predicted. However, Red Bull has won a lot more races, and that is something the Woking-based team needs to match.
With Mercedes also on the rise, Norris wants his team to buckle up and produce more performances like the race in Hungary. Should the team be able to do so, the 24-year-old is confident he can overtake Verstappen in the drivers’ championship this season.
