Norris Maintains Focus Amid Verstappen’s Resurgence at COTA
At the United States Grand Prix, Lando Norris emphasized that Max Verstappen’s strong performances—three wins and a second-place finish in the last four races—do not alter his approach to the driver championship. Verstappen has reduced his gap to Oscar Piastri from 104 points to just 40 and has cut his deficit to Norris from 88 points to 26.
Norris, who secured second place at Circuit of The Americas, stated, “I currently score the most points I can every weekend… It’s quite simple – just try and beat both drivers.” His recent performance has allowed him to close to within 14 points of Piastri.
Despite similar pace to Verstappen throughout the race, Norris struggled after being overtaken by Charles Leclerc at the start. He noted, “I was a little bit wary… I didn’t want to end up in the gravel again,” which influenced his more cautious approach at Turn 1.
Norris observed that Leclerc maintained competitive speed, stating, “Until 10 laps to go, he was like six seconds off Max.” He acknowledged the competitive nature of the race, remarking, “It was a good race. The pace was pretty close,” indicating ongoing struggles to apply consistent pressure on Leclerc.
Reflecting on his second-place finish, Norris said, “I thought [Leclerc] was just a bit too quick for us, but to get back into second and get past was perfect.” As the championship race continues, Norris remains focused, adapting his tactics without losing sight of his primary objective: to maximize points against both championship rivals.
