The worrying thing people in F1 hospitality were saying about Lando Norris during the US Grand Prix

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McLaren driver Lando Norris knew going into the United States Grand Prix he needed to be perfect to achieve one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Formula 1.

With six rounds to go, Lando Norris needed to overturn a 52-point deficit to Max Verstappen to deny the Red Bull star his fourth world championship.

It doesn’t quite compare to Kimi Raikkonen’s unlikely 2007 title when he won the last two races of the season to overturn Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s advantage.

McLaren did win the Drivers’ Championship the following year thanks to Hamilton but haven’t won a title since that season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Unfortunately, Norris wasn’t able to reduce the gap to Verstappen any further at the United States Grand Prix.

He finished two positions behind the Dutchman in the Sprint Race, before losing out on a podium to his championship rival during the Grand Prix after picking up a time penalty for an illegal overtake.

Martin Brundle was unsure about the race stewards’ stance on Norris’s penalty, but ultimately the championship now looks out of reach unless something miraculous happens.

Statistician and paddock host Sean Kelly was speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast about Norris and his stance among the sport’s fans.

Norris has a huge fanbase and has already sold out his personal grandstand for next year’s British Grand Prix.

However, some fans in F1’s hospitality area at the Circuit of the Americas were less unsure about whether Norris has what it takes to take Verstappen on in head-to-head battles.

Lando Norris’s ability to race Max Verstappen questioned by fans at the US Grand Prix

Talking about the battle between Norris and Verstappen and how the start of the race influenced their approaches, Kelly said: “It must annoy Lando that he’s had this stat by always losing the lead when he’s on pole position, except until we got to Singapore.

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

“But then we knew that it’s this back-to-front grid here, where starting second historically is better than starting first.

“So I’m sure he must have gone into it knowing that. And the fact that Verstappen still went for it, if anybody’s going to go for that gap, it’s going to be Max, isn’t it?

“I suppose it’s a court of public opinion, isn’t it? Like, can Lando outdual Max in a straight fight? There’s probably a lot of that going on.

“Certainly in the suites I was in, I do a lot of hospitality hosting, and you hear that gossip, can Lando actually race Max, or does he need a car that’s actually convincingly quicker?

“I guess that was partially answered today.”

Lando Norris has his say on Max Verstappen’s racing technique at the United States Grand Prix

Verstappen already has a reputation for being one of the toughest drivers to battle with on the grid right now.

Hamilton discovered this on multiple occasions during their 2021 title fight, with the pair making contact during several Grand Prix.

Norris admitted that Verstappen raced ‘too hard’ at one point of the race in Austin, but on the whole, his defensive driving was magnificent.

He covered Norris off brilliantly and although the way he lost his position was controversial, Verstappen used the current regulations to his full advantage knowing that the Brit would be the driver penalised.

Whether that’s correct or not is another matter that the drivers will have to decide between themselves, but at the key moments when Norris and Verstappen have been up against each other, the Dutchman’s experience has seen him come out on top.