Lando Norris on F1 Title, Tyre Controversy, and Las Vegas GP Challenges

Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, has been making headlines in the Formula 1 circuit, particularly ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Despite the slim chances of winning the drivers’ title, Norris remains focused on giving his best performance in every race.

Norris acknowledged that the championship was likely out of his reach after the first six races of the season, when Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated, creating a significant points gap. “The race [for the title] was lost in the first six races of the year. That’s when Max dominated, when Red Bull were too far ahead and points got to a gap which was just too difficult to claw back,” Norris stated.

Currently, Verstappen is on the brink of securing his fourth world title and will do so if he finishes ahead of Norris in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Norris qualified in sixth place, just behind Verstappen in fifth, but remains optimistic about his chances. “I think we have a chance to beat them tomorrow, but I’ll go out and do my best like I do in every single race. And whatever the outcome is, the outcome is,” Norris said.

In addition to the title race, Norris has also addressed recent controversy surrounding tyre cooling. Red Bull reportedly complained to the FIA about McLaren allegedly using water to cool their tyres, a tactic that Norris jokingly dismissed. “It’s not tyres. It’s not because they’re too hot or too cold or all of this nonsense, or the water…. It’s just our car doesn’t suit these conditions,” he quipped.

Norris also highlighted McLaren’s ongoing struggles with tyre graining, particularly on softer compounds. He expressed hope that switching to harder tyres could improve their performance during the race. “Every race this year, we struggled with graining. We’ve not been good on the softer tyres. That’s the same now, but it’s almost the case in a quali lap, you almost start to grain the tyres already,” he explained.

Despite these challenges, Norris is determined to help McLaren secure the constructors’ championship, where they are currently leading Ferrari by 36 points. “At the minute, [hoping to beat Ferrari is] what you would say. It could be that tomorrow, we put on the hard tyre, and things come our way a little bit,” he said.