LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lando Norris has dismissed as “comedy” a reported claim by Max Verstappen that he could have secured the Formula 1 title earlier if he had the same McLaren car as Norris, who was his closest challenger.
Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive title last week in Las Vegas and, following the race, Dutch-language media reported that Verstappen claimed he could have won the title sooner if he’d been driving the McLaren instead of his own Red Bull car.
“He should start doing comedy or something. He can say whatever he wants. Of course I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good but, yeah, it’s not true,” Norris said Thursday ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
Asked about Norris’ response, Verstappen said: “I know perfectly well for myself what I can and cannot do.”
Verstappen said following the race in Las Vegas that he believed he hadn’t had the fastest car in the F1 field for “70% of the season” but was proud that he had still extended his lead.
Norris said Thursday that he was shifting his focus to helping McLaren win the constructors’ title for the first time since 1998. McLaren leads the standings ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull going into the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, which includes a sprint race Saturday offering extra points.
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