Lando Norris claims he ‘can’t afford’ to let Max Verstappen get away with a massive lead in the standings

Lando Norris raised concerns after the Spanish GP as Max Verstappen further strengthened his lead in the championship.

Lando Norris claims he ‘can’t afford’ to let Max Verstappen get away with a massive lead in the standings

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

During the Spanish GP, Max Verstappen started from P2 and won the race, beating Lando Norris who started from pole position but failed to secure the victory. However, Norris reckoned he and McLaren can compete strongly for the world championship against Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing.

The 2024 Formula 1 season is the first time where Lando Norris has been this high in the standings. However, the Englishman is concerned about how many points behind he is with the leader. Even though Norris, moved up to the second place in the championship, he expressed that doesn’t matter to him, whether he’s second or tenth. What matters to the 26-year-old is how many points he is behind the leader Max Verstappen at the moment. Verstappen currently leads Norris by 69 points in the standings.

Even though I moved into second in the championship, that doesn't matter, I couldn't care if I was second or tenth. It's more about the gap to what Max is and he's still extending it at the minute.
Lando Norris said, as reported by SpeedCafe.com
YouTube video

The 26-year-old further stated that it was crucial for him and McLaren to not to let Verstappen extend his lead more at this stage of this season. They can’t afford to allow him being at advantage in the championship standings. It’s a very critical time for the orange team and they need to keep improving to catch the Dutchman at the top.

FS Video
That's something we can't afford to do or can't afford to kind of let him run away with it at this point of the season.
Lando Norris stated

Lando Norris claims Red Bull’s are better at ‘high-speed’ corners than McLaren

Lando Norris expressed his disappointment during recent race in Barcelona. He felt, they could’ve done much better to regain points from Verstappen. The 26-year-old reckoned, he missed opportunities in Canada and Spain where he finished second. He reckoned that with better decisions in Canada and a stronger start in Barcelona, McLaren could have won both races. These moments highlighted, crucial chances where small improvements could’ve led to bigger victories.

We should have done better today, We should have got some points back on Max. Potentially, there was a chance to beat him in Canada, so two races that I finished second and he's won. If I just made some better decision in Canada and if I had a better start today, we could have won two races.
Lando Norris explained
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

Norris mentioned, the upcoming races in Austria has a different designed track, and they should focus on high speed sections. He reckoned, Red Bull are slightly better at high speed corners than McLaren. The 26-year-old felt they might be slightly behind in that aspect, but he’s confident about McLaren’s performance in other areas of the circuit.

It's a very different layout again; high-speed, I think we have a bit to work on, Red Bull seem definitely a bit higher, better in high-speed corners than we are. Potentially, we're lacking a touch in that area, but the rest of it is strong.
Lando Norris stated

Certainly, Lando Norris believes McLaren can surpass Red Bull in upcoming races, although they need to improve in areas where Red Bull holds a slight advantage. Fans are pleased watching the Briton’s performance and hope he will win more races like he did in Miami.

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