Lando Norris says that regardless of the outcome of his title fight against Championship leader Max Verstappen, his 2024 campaign will have still been a successful one for himself and for McLaren.
Heading into this weekend’s US Grand Prix, Norris finds himself 52 points behind Verstappen, with only six rounds remaining, including three Sprint events.
While McLaren has overhauled Red Bull as the field’s current pace setter, as Norris’ crushing 20-second win in Singapore confirmed, the Briton’s task of pipping Verstappen to the world crown remains a daunting task.
Reflecting on his current situation, Norris acknowledged the frustrations of missed opportunities but emphasized that these are a normal part of any season.
“There’s always things, no matter what year you’re in, that you think you could have done this a bit better, you could have done that better,” the 24-year-old conceded.
“Even where I am now, there’s already things I go, damn, if only I did this or that.
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“I’m not going to say where, but different scenarios, where if I lose the championship by a couple of points, that I can easily look at and go, I made probably a wrong decision here, and I could have lost it.
“But if I win it by one point, I’m sure there’ll be things that Max says, which is like, I probably lost it here as well.
“It’s easy to come up with excuses and reasons for things. If I finish second, it’s because Red Bull and Max have done a better job. That’s my only answer for it.”
However, Norris made clear that he won’t be invoking excuses if he misses out on the title and concludes the year in his current runner-up spot.
“If I finish second, it’s because Red Bull and Max have done a better job. That’s my only answer for it,” he stated.
Rejecting the notion that anything short of winning would be a failure for McLaren, Norris highlighted his team's remarkable transformation throughout the season.
Starting far behind its rivals in the early stages of its campaign, with Red Bull dominating, McLaren steadily gained ground to end up competing at the front.
“We started a very long way behind in the beginning of the year,” he said.
“I think everyone thought Max was going to have an easy win in the championship. Red Bull were going to have another easy win in the championship.
“For that not to be the case, after the gap that they had after round one, and not even to come from Ferrari as the main contender, but from us, a team that was probably fourth at the start of the year, I think it’s something you need to be proud of.”
Norris underlined the importance of adjusting expectations throughout the season. He acknowledged that McLaren is now a genuine top team, consistently fighting for wins and championships.
“As the season goes on, you always re-evaluate where do we stand now, and what’s our new expectations,” he explained.
“Our expectations now, we’re a top team, and we’re fighting for wins, and we’re fighting for a Constructors’ Championship, and we’re fighting for a Drivers’ Championship.
“Just as much as it can go wrong, it can also go well, like it has done for us. We’re fighting against the best of the best, and it’s been a fun year.
“I think no matter what, it’s still been a successful season. I’m sure I’ll be happier with a win than if it was for second.”
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