McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris has said he believes he could give Red Bull ace Max Verstappen a run for his money if he had a similarly competitive car.
Norris, now in his third season in Formula 1, has had a very strong start to the 2021 season and is currently third in the Drivers’ Standings on 86 points, having scored over 50 points more than his new McLaren team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo.
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Verstappen, meanwhile, is leading the Championship and is in an excellent position to win his first-ever single seater title this year.
Asked if he believes he could challenge the Dutchman if he had a more competitive car, Norris replied: “100 percent, I believe I could give him [Max] a run for his money.
“There are just different scenarios and situations where experience comes into play and you think ‘maybe he would have the upper hand on me in that scenario’ and I believe he [Verstappen] is one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1.
“I think he has proven that since he joined when he was 16 or 17 years old.”
Norris also commented on the challenges of this season, with him now having a couple of years of F1 experience under his belt and Ricciardo now partnering him at McLaren.
“There’s been a lot of work I’ve done over the winter and still all the way through this year,” Norris added.
“I’ve put in a lot of time and effort, working a lot with my engineers to get results like we’ve done this year.
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“Coming into your third season, that’s the one when people are like ‘there are no excuses anymore’.
“The first two you can get away with a couple of things, especially in your first season. “And I guess with the addition of Danny [Ricciardo] coming into the team, there was a lot more eyes on what I’m going to be like versus Danny rather than the opposite way around.
“Not many people knew how good Carlos [Sainz] is and this year Carlos has proved how good he is against Charles, whom everyone rates as one of the best drivers in Formula 1.
“I think it’s good for me to know where I stand compared to other drivers,” the young Brit added.
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