On the eve of the GP of Las Vegas, Lando Norris shows 62 points behind Verstappen. At the moment he is the only candidate left in the running to attack the Dutch driver, but the latter will have his first match point in America. In fact, all he needs to do is arrive in Qatar with at least a 60-point advantage over McLaren to be crowned world champion in 2024.
Norris surrenders to Verstappen before Las Vegas: “Interlagos was decisive”
During the media day in the “gambling city”, the questions for #4 were mainly about expectations regarding the World Cup. To everyone's surprise, the Briton seems to raise White flag and declare themselves now beaten after Max's monstrous performance at Interlagos: “The last race in Brazil was decisive for this championship. I've been thinking about the situation all last week, and I have to admit that I felt a bit down. Things are no longer under my control. It's not easy to overcome this situation knowing the beliefs you have. But this helps us to accept these moments, even if I have to admit that it was demoralizing”.
“This year he wasn't ready to face Red Bull yet”
In addition to this declaration of surrender, Norris also had words of praise for the #1 of the Red Bull. Lando in fact considered himself not up to par yet of this global challenge, but which now has all the weapons to do well next year: "This year I wasn't ready to face Max and Red Bull yet.. I improved during the season, but now it's too late. I tried to do my best, but obviously it wasn't enough. Also because I think he [Verstappen} is one of the best drivers in the history of F1.. Reaching his level is very difficult, but the direction taken after the summer break is the right one to still be in this fight next year”.
