Lando Norris believes his heated battle with Max Verstappen in this year’s Mexican GP marked a pivotal moment in his 2024 Formula 1 season, as it exposed that even the Dutchman – widely regarded as the grid's fiercest competitor – can make mistakes.
Norris capped off his season in spectacular fashion with a dominant victory in Abu Dhabi, converting pole position into a win that delivered to McLaren its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
Despite his important role in his team’s outstanding resurgence, Norris finished second in the Drivers’ standings, unable to dethrone Verstappen, who clinched the title with two rounds to spare.
Reflecting on his 2024 campaign, Norris admitted he had yet to consistently perform at the elite level required to beat Verstappen.
“I obviously lost out on a few things,” the Briton acknowledged, quoted by Motorsport Week. “And there were maybe three starts this year which lost me one or two positions at times.
“But they were positions quite often just to Max. Or it was Budapest and one to Oscar [Piastri], and little things like that.”
However, Norris rejected the idea that these moments undermined his belief in his abilities.
“None of them, when I look back on them, made me feel like, ‘Well, I’ve not got what it takes’,” he said.
“Those moments only came when it was directly against Max. And it’s Max. Going up against Max in any state is always going to be tricky. And no one has a nice time racing Max.”
However, a turning point came in Mexico, where Norris and Verstappen engaged in a tense wheel-to-wheel battle that ultimately saw the Red Bull driver penalized for his erratic driving.
For Norris, it was a rare moment where Verstappen’s aura of invincibility showed cracks.
“I think Mexico was a bit of a turning point when it was proved that not everything he does is perfect,” Norris said.
“I think if we all go back to Austin and go back to Turn 12, the majority of – I say, almost everyone on the grid, as drivers and also externally – disagreed with the fact I got the penalty. We either both should not have got one, or we both should have got one.”
The incident in Austin had brought criticism for Norris’ cautious approach in battling his fiercest rival, particularly in the context of a championship fight.
Yet Norris explained that his somewhat prudent sense of engagement was rooted in McLaren’s points deficit from earlier in the year, which left him little room to take risks.
“The thing is, what you don’t see on the outside are some of those moments where if I did certain things, we would have crashed,” he explained.
“People on the outside have no idea on what it takes and those moments where you accept losing a battle. And that is the case.”
Norris pointed to McLaren’s early-season struggles as a key reason for his measured approach.
“That was because of where we were in the first six, seven races of the year. We lost too many points. And I was just in that position where I couldn’t gain as much as what I needed to and wanted to.”
While candid about his shortcomings, Norris took heart in the progress he made throughout the season.
“I’m not using any of these as excuses,” he insisted. “I’m saying I didn’t have what it took this season to fight against Max and deliver what I needed to deliver.
“But it certainly gave me the feeling of, ‘OK, if I improve this little bit here, this little bit here,’ for the first time, I have confidence in saying I’ve definitely got what it takes.”
As McLaren continues to grow stronger, Norris’ confidence in his ability to challenge Verstappen is growing too, setting the stage for more raging battles in 2025.
The turning point in Mexico may have just been the start of a shift in the balance of power at the front of the grid.
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