Lando Norris fires Max Verstappen F1 title warning amid ‘pay the price’ admission

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Lando Norris has Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and the Formula 1 drivers’ title firmly in his sights as the McLaren pilot targets a first championship during the final six rounds.

Only 52 points now separate three-time reigning champion Verstappen from Norris atop the standings. The former is even enduring his worst run of results in Formula 1 since the end of 2019. On the other hand, the latter is in the form of his life to make the title a doable reality.

A lot must still go in Norris’ favour for the McLaren driver to usurp Verstappen, with the Red Bull racer able to finish second to the Briton in each remaining race and retain his title. With a maximum of 180 points available, Norris has to outscore Verstappen by 8.6 points a round.

Lando Norris warns Max Verstappen his Singapore GP dominance can be repeated

Norris would even miss out on the title to Verstappen by just one point if he sets the fastest lap in each of the last six Grand Prix, wins each race and wins the last three F1 Sprint events with the Red Bull man always in P2. But the McLaren ace is confident he can apply pressure.

After registering the second-biggest winning margin of the 2024 Formula 1 season last time out as Norris won the Singapore Grand Prix by 20.945 seconds over Verstappen, the Bristol-born gem feels repeating his dominance at Marina Bay is realistic if everything goes to plan.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

The Singapore GP was also the first time ever that Norris won directly from pole position as he led all 62 laps. Now, Norris admits that the Briton ‘sometimes’ cost himself and McLaren so had to face the consequences. But Norris has put Verstappen on notice in their title fight.

“Sometimes it was my fault, I just didn’t manage to do everything well,” Norris admitted, via quotes by Speedweek. “So, I had to pay the price for not always working well enough.

“But if I’m in the lead after the first corner and everything runs a little more smoothly, we can have a day as good as the race in Singapore.”

Lando Norris has cost himself points throughout the 2024 Formula 1 season

Norris can certainly blame himself after failing to win the Spanish Grand Prix, somewhat the Austrian Grand Prix, potentially the Belgian Grand Prix and also up to a point the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Further points were even on the table in the F1 Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix.

With the McLaren driver still yet to win a Sprint or a Grand Prix when he lined up on pole in Shanghai for the Sprint, Norris caved to pressure from Lewis Hamilton at the start. He tried to defend for the lead at the wrong corner and ultimately finished in P6 as Verstappen won.

A poor start also cost Norris as Verstappen won the Spanish GP, which remains the last race the Red Bull ace won. Had the Briton been a smidge more patient at the Austrian GP, Norris might have avoided his race-ending crash with Verstappen at Turn 3 by trying a move at T4.

McLaren opting for a dry, race-focused set-up amid rain in qualifying at Spa then saw Norris qualify in P5 but start P4 as Verstappen had a grid penalty. Yet he would not take advantage as Norris blew his Belgian GP at T1 by running wide to lose places by dipping into the gravel.

An incorrectly waved yellow flag in qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP then played a key part in Norris bowing out in Q1. But even if he lifted off enough at Turn 16, Norris may still have got into Q2. The Briton may have then won the race in Baku, given he recovered from P15 to P4.